Kingdom’s Bloodline

Chapter 189: Evil Whispering (Part 1)

After lunch (to be precise, it was a thin and bitter wheat porridge), led by Chadway and Hauser, a group of them were settled in the uppermost or most remote floor of the tunnel, the nearest ground exit Not far, but away from the rest of the local residents - Glover's violent intrusion has made them unwelcome.

After the operation, Catherine lay on the bed and fell into a deep sleep. Chadvi stood beside her and prayed in a low voice. Rolf was still leaning in the corner, watching the scene with a complicated expression. Dorothy set up the stove and saucepan, and Lady Gadamard, with her arms akimbo, directed Warniac and Popo to arrange other bedding. And Glover rummaged through a pile of second-hand goods or garbage, trying to find a weapon.

That's all you pried out of her mouth?

Beside the stove, Xilai and Thales talked in a low voice, and the former asked the boy angrily:

A silly nickname - Lausanne II?

Thales looked embarrassed.

She passed out after the operation, what can he do?

More than that, the young man tried his best to save face, at least we...then what do you want to know?

Too much!

Xilai spread out his palms, and tapped his fingers again and again:

When was the last time she saw Iris? What was the order she received? What did she do specifically? What was suspicious about it? What happened to the Blood Bottle Gang? How did the Secret Division attack them? What is Jen's plan?...

Thales was overwhelmed by her rebuke, but at this moment, Slimani's voice sounded from the opposite side:

Hey, magic master! Brother Wyatt and Miss Wyana, have you figured it out yet? Where shall we go next?

Thales and Xilai turned their heads together, with unhappy expressions.

I saw Slimani squatting on the wet ground, at a loss as to what to do with a roll of hay, feeling embarrassed.

We'll leave after dark, don't worry, it's safe here...

Stop messing with me! Slimani raised his voice.

Obviously, today's encounter made him nervous.

The person who just came down is the 'good neighbor' of the citizens of the Emerald City, Catherine the 'Phantom Blade' of the Blood Bottle Gang, Slimani stared at Catherine on the ground, I recognize it, I remember it! When I was still in the police station, her younger brothers often came in to 'drink tea'.

Thales and Xilai looked at each other.

What?

Uncle Hauser, who was dealing with the work at hand, turned his head and stared at Slimani's obviously pampered hands and figure:

You used to be a green skin?

That's right, that's right, the defender was a little embarrassed at first, subconsciously retracting his belly and puffing out his chest, but then he figured something out and smiled bitterly, I know, doesn't it look like it, I seldom go out on the street?

On the contrary, Hauser snorted softly, turned his head, and couldn't hide the disdain in his words, It's so fucking similar.

Hauser's attitude made Slimani a little embarrassed. He leaned over to the stove and glared at Thales:

Come on, a gang leader escaped here, and her two hoodlums covered in blood... You have to tell me, what happened?

Thales looked at Xilai, who shrugged and motioned for you to invite first.

All right.

The boy could only sigh:

Let's put it this way, Catherine's current situation is very similar to yours, the difference is that you were lucky enough to meet us.

Like me? But I was...

Slimani showed doubts on his face, and was immediately startled: Even the boss of the Blood Bottle Gang... Oh no, the Duke, Master Zhan, is he crazy?

Maybe I'm just in a hurry, Thales thought, My life is hanging by a thread, so of course I have to do my best.

The more Slimani thought about it, the worse it became, and he panicked:

No, no, people are dying in Emerald City, Kongming Palace is killing people everywhere, even the Blood Bottle Gang... the Emerald City is going to be in chaos, right?

Xilai came back to her senses, her eyes were cold.

so,

You cooperate early, tell us everything you know, and maybe we can turn the tide.

Turning the tide? Stop joking, it's up to you?

Slimani was emotionally unstable and became more and more frustrated.

Xilai raised his brows: It's not us, but our master, you know, he has a noble status and superb methods...

Thales on the side sighed helplessly.

Come on, your master is the source of the chaos, Slimani obviously exhausted his patience, speaking faster and faster, From the wine merchant, to the wool merchant, and now, everything came from him Let's start! If he hadn't come to the Emerald City, none of this would have happened! I wouldn't, I wouldn't...

Slimani put his head in his hands, very upset.

Thales raised his eyebrows:

Are you sure?

certainly!

Slimani raised his head and said angrily:

I've been in the Emerald City for so many years, from the Duke of Leinster to the Duke of Jann, I've never been this bad!

Slimani sniffed, raised his head, and looked around.

God knows how I came to such a ghostly place! The stinky ditch is full of rats and cockroaches, it's cold, wet, dirty and dark...

clang!

The sound of sharp metal impact suddenly sounded, making Slimani tremble in fright!

Don't forget, this ghostly place and the stinky ditch saved your life.

Gadama walked behind them, holding the blame behind his back, holding a spoon in his hand, with a sarcastic expression:

Of course, most people here are not as valuable as you, my lord!

Of course, Slimani realized his current situation, and hurriedly changed his expression, Oh, I mean, thank you! You are all good people!

Good guy? But don't be so sure, Gadama looked at him disdainfully, smiling ferociously, You don't know about 'water ghouls'.

The aunt's expression and tone were quite scary, coupled with the dim atmosphere, Slimani swallowed:

Wait, this place is owned by Priest Chadvi, right? For charity?

Uncle Hauser, who turned his back on them, sneered.

Slimani hesitated: He adopted these, these...

You want to say a monster? Or a deformity? Warniak, who had just finished his work and sat down opposite, snorted coldly.

Sorry. Slimani's complexion changed, and he quickly lowered his head: No, I didn't think so.

real?

Xilai sneered, shaking his gloved hand intentionally or unintentionally:

Then look around: dwarfs, fools, tumor men, seal men, lobster hands, hairy men, brainless men, two-headed men, and of course, polyfingered men...

Wyana!

Thales pressed her hand and shook his head.

Xilai looked back at him silently.

After a few seconds, she withdrew her hand.

Across from them, Warniak snorted uncomfortably.

No, Chadwi didn't adopt them—you look at our age, don't we?

Uncle Hauser turned back and chuckled:

He's just helping out at best.

Slimani frowned: Then here...

A long time ago.

Hauser sighed:

A certain duke of the South Bank, God knows who, he wanted to rebuild the sewers like a king's capital, but he gave up halfway. After a long time, people lived in the half-built tunnels, or simply put, deformed monsters they...

Thales turned his head and looked at the tunnel: the residents were indistinct in shape, and many of them were very sensitive to their eyes. Seeing Thales' gaze, most of them quickly lowered their heads and turned around, or retreated into the deeper darkness.

Thales suddenly thought of the abandoned house many years later, and thought of Mertesa who had been guarding it without interest and had no expectation of returning to the Brotherhood.

Uncle Hauser sat down by the fire, and the way he wrapped the blanket with his little hands was rather comical.

Over the years, the more prosperous and richer Emerald City has been, the more people in this tunnel have increased—from leprosy patients to deformed abandoned babies, from disabilities to lunatics, from work-related paralysis to incurable diseases, this tunnel has become a complete The utterly stinky shithole. Countless 'people' who are abnormal, unwanted, and not seen by the world on the ground will be thrown here, or forced here, to be forgotten, to fend for themselves...

Warniak snorted unhappily, and the huge tumor on his neck became more and more glaring.

Slimani looked at the dark tunnel, his smile gradually disappeared.

So that people on the ground can't see it, for the sake of the civilization and cleanliness of the Emerald City? Thales said in awe.

More than that, Xilai chuckled and rubbed his hands together:

To drive the 'abnormal' out of the 'normal'.

Thales frowned slightly.

Slimani was silent for a while.

Then the people here, how do they live?

Do anything.

Uncle Hauser pointed to a pile of old goods behind him:

I do a bit of refurbishment, Gadama does fortune-telling, sells deceitful elixirs, Dorothy picks up junk in the dumps from above, and people like Warniac and Popo , just go to the circus and do a burlesque, jump through a fire hoop, or go to a freak show for a day and come back in the evening, of course, more people, lepers and the like... Well, the days are counting.

Slimani forced a smile: Oh, then...at least you are self-reliant, you are very...self-reliant?

Don't get me wrong, this place was far less 'normal' than it is now. In the firelight, Hauser stared at the dark and endless tunnel, A long time ago, those 'people' who were forced here, their twisted It's not just the body.

What's the meaning?

Lady Gadamard sat down beside Hauser and tucked him a blanket:

Have you ever seen a seven-year-old kill another sixty-year-old for a meal of rats in a cauldron? Or a deaf man thrown headfirst into sewage because he had a better berth? Even the legend of the water ghoul is not untraceable, even the Brotherhood of the Black Street had a better territory than here, Gadama sneered, and looked at the frowning Dorothy and Warniac , Don't look at me, I also listened to the old Bao.

We know, Warniak shook his head, you've said it a dozen times.

Really? Slimani's face was ugly, Then... it shouldn't be like that anymore?

Thanks to Sister Inlshaga, Hauser sighed, she discovered this place a long time ago, she has paid no matter the price for decades, treated deformed children as human beings, not only insisted on relief, but also tried to survive in the savage chaos. Re-establish - God knows how she did it - order.

Hauser nodded:

The most important thing is that she didn't leak this place out, but gave the people here... the last bit of poor dignity.

I still remember the last time she was leaning on a cane and being helped down by Master Chadvi. Yin Ershaga gave me her hairpin, saying that she was dying and would never use it again, Gadama said. The aunt's voice was a little stagnant, It's hard to imagine that Mammy has been dead for so long.

I went to her grave to deliver flowers the day before yesterday, before the grave guards drove me away. Uncle Hauser patted his wife's hand, may the setting sun bless her soul.

Warniac, Dorothy, Hauser, and even Bobo, who only knows woo woo woo... the aborigines in the tunnel performed prayer poses in unison, and their movements were uniform, even more so than the priests in the temple. But also the standard.

Thales looked at this scene in amazement.

It seems that Sister Yin Ershajia not only brought dignity, hope and order, but also the faith of the setting sun.

but……

Try to make people live more like people, not the other way around, Thales said with emotion, Perhaps in this alone, she is better than most of the officials and lords in the kingdom. This nun is worthy of the belief in the setting sun.

If people here are saved by believers in the setting sun, why not?

But Thales noticed that Xilai beside him was motionless, just staring at the stove with his mouth raised.

You know, Slimani said suddenly, but this time, his tone was low, I once had a child, but the child was born... without the back of the head.

No... the back of the head? Warniak looked surprised and subconsciously touched the head.

Slimani looked at the stove with a sad expression:

Yes, the doctor said it might be malnutrition, the child didn't develop well in the mother's womb...

Your child, malnourished? Gadama looked at his fine clothes and asked suspiciously.

Slimani patted his clothes, embarrassed.

I... I was very poor at that time. I was working for the security department, doing errands and delivering letters, and the prices in Emerald City were so high, my mother-in-law could only live with me in a short-term rental house, and I was hungry and full... ...

But you live on the ground, whispered Dorothy.

Slimani's words froze, he sighed, and closed his eyes.

When our child was born, the midwife was terrified. She said she had delivered so many children, and she had never seen such a deformed child, a monster with only half a head.

Thales listened quietly, and there was a moment of silence in the tunnel.

Not a monster.

Warniak spoke suddenly, and he shook his head, as if it wasn't just Srimani he was trying to convince:

No! Your kid is just, just, just unlucky.

His voice trembled and his eyes were sad.

Slimani was taken aback for a moment, and he lowered his head slowly:

Yes, just, just unlucky, unlucky.

At this moment, the voice of Priest Chadvi came:

Everyone's natural appearance is not only the grace of the goddess, but also a test.

Everyone turned their heads, and the priest, with a tired face, approached and joined their conversation:

She's better, I'm sorry to trouble you...

Don't worry about it, Mr. Chadvi, said Mrs. Gadama respectfully. What you said, Brother Mohasa has something to say; the doctor never abandons the terminally ill.

Chad Viton paused:

Thanks.

He then asked Slimani:

What happened to your son?

Slimani reacted.

daughter.

The defender said in despair:

Our baby, she was a daughter. For weeks, we tried everything we could find...but she died. I, I just tried to comfort my wife.

Everyone fell silent.

Chadvi let out a long sigh:

The setting sun has mercy.

Slimani chuckled lightly.

But it's not over yet. One day my landlord found me, he gave me money, and begged me for help, he said angrily, His son learned from a bunch of gangsters from the Blood Bottle Gang. After drinking, To be exact, the drug queen broke into the squad room, and he needed me to go into the security hall to exchange the confiscated evidence—a certain bag of medicine.”

I'm just a temporary worker in the security hall, how dare I? But...but he threatened me, if I don't do it...

Slimani took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions:

He is going to write an anonymous letter to report me, to fan the neighbors in the neighborhood, saying that those of us in the countryside always worship the devil and recruit evil, give birth to such a deformed monster, and keep her at home...

What? Thales couldn't believe it.

I know, it's ridiculous, right? Slimani gritted his teeth.

Amidst the whispers of the crowd, Priest Chadvi sighed.

After the Bloody Year, the Emerald City was not very good for a while.

The priest said dullly:

Overpopulation, insufficient food, and all kinds of businesses are waiting to be done... People, especially the lower class, have a bad life. Over time, there are all kinds of rumors and nonsense. For example, why our city is so Oops, it’s because of a curse—brought by foreigners during the war.”

The curse of the water ghoul? Thales asked.

Chadvi shook his head: That's just one of them.

In short, for more than half a year, the whole city became fanatical. From good citizens to vagrants, from blood bottle gangs to gangsters, from homeless people to beggars, everyone is keen to fight against cult superstitions and put an end to devil worship, especially those who Outlanders, it seems that Emerald City will get better after getting rid of them, and you can go back to the past...

The priest's words made everyone feel depressed.

That's how my cousin died, said Mrs. Gadama sullenly. She was originally a well-known fortune teller in all directions. She only needed a bowl of tea, and she could calculate quickly and accurately... until she was reported and said that she cursed The neighbor's field was handcuffed and taken away...

small book booth

That's right, I came here during the Year of Blood, when it was popular to crack down on 'foreign forces'.

Hauser sighed:

If you dare to complain about the high prices, someone will ask, do you, a foreigner, take foreign money and plan to subvert the Emerald City from within?

Fortunately, the Duke of Leinster came forward in time to stop the farce and hang several rumors. Priest Chadvi glanced at Slimani with a sad and angry expression, and shook his head, But the damage that has been caused...

The priest was silent.

Then your landlord, did he report you? Dorothy asked cautiously.

Slimani shook his head.

In order to protect myself, I had no choice but to agree to him. I went to the police station and stole the key to the evidence room...

The defender sighed in pain.

But that was just the first time. The landlord got ahead and started to ask me to do things for him, such as informing him before the police station went to investigate, so that he could hide black households and black workers, and resell antiques and so on. He also forced me to accept him The money stuffed, as if he can pull me on board, and if I refuse, he will mention my daughter...

Bah, despicable, Warniak said angrily, and you just let him bully you? Just because you gave birth to a...unfortunate child?

Slimani was silent, and when he spoke again, his words were full of hatred.

You're right, how could I forget? Huh?

He gritted his teeth:

How can he allow him to use my child to blackmail me and threaten me? Just when my wife is still awakened by nightmares every night, holding an empty cradle and crying bitterly?

Thales only felt his heart sink.

So, when he came to me for the last time to 'do business' and mentioned the 'dead child' openly and secretly, I made up my mind and wrote an anonymous report letter, Slimani said with a deep breath, put He was sent to prison with his hopeless rogue son.

Thales frowned: Then after him...

Hanging, Slimani replied, his tone so calm that everyone jumped. For drug possession and drug trafficking and, evil worship.

Hauser frowned: What?

Slimani nodded, brows tangled together in pain:

The most powerful and crucial piece of evidence is the carefully embalmed... baby corpse with no back of its head hidden under the floor of his rental house.

Everyone was shocked.

Dorothy covered her mouth: That's...

Slimani closed his eyes and nodded vaguely.

There was silence in the tunnel.

Chadvi sighed deeply:

The test from God not only tests himself, but also the people related to him, and even the believers of the goddess.

You did the right thing, Xilai said suddenly, Your daughter, you avenged me.

Thales frowned slightly.

Yes, an eye for an eye, that landlord, he should have thought of this day when he harmed someone! He deserves it! Warniak gritted his teeth.

But it's also... so sad, trembled Dorothy.

Woooooo! Bobo waved his arms unhappily.

Quiet, Hauser suppressed everyone who was chattering with his eyes, and turned to comfort Slimani, It's okay, buddy, at least, at least it's over.

Slimani opened his eyes.

Yeah, I thought, I thought this was the end, that I could finally get back to my life, but...

He paused for a while, the color in his eyes only getting darker.

But in the security hall, my boss, to be precise, his boss's boss, somehow found out about this, Slimani said in a daze, he took out my anonymous letter and said as a One who does chores, his pen skills are not bad, and he smiled and said don’t worry, not only will he not pursue me, but he will promote me.”

Warniak's eyes lit up:

Isn't that great?

Thales frowned.

Yes, very good.

Slimani laughed sadly,

The premise is that I have to pass a test: write a final report, about a case of a high-ranking official's nephew abusing a civilian daughter.

I don't understand? Warniak wondered.

Slimani covered his face and snorted softly.

That's hot work. No one wants to do it. The boss didn't want to offend anyone or make a mistake, so he pushed me on it: If this report goes wrong, the person who wrote it will be A scapegoat, a duty clerk, a temporary worker...

He scratches at his hair.

But I couldn't refuse. My boss took advantage of me: I accepted bribes and worked with that landlord, including... framing the blame.

Thales sighed lightly.

The tunnel was quiet, only the sound of gurgling water could be heard.

When the test comes, the devil will whisper, and the evil spirit will whisper, Priest Chadvi read the scriptures, with serious words but compassion, in a language we cannot understand.

Slimani took a deep breath and shook his head feebly.

There's nothing I can do but do it. All I can do is rack my brains, use all the grammar I've learned in clerical school, and get my first police officer's final report—God knows how much I've been looking forward to it before that day. A moment, until it actually arrives—the writing is flawless and flawless: The person involved is a young woman, her hair is at dusk, she is alone outside, her clothes are light, her make-up is perfect, and the flowers she carries with her have been tested or contain aphrodisiac effects... on Working hours are closely related to many men...Whether the relationship between men and women is voluntary still needs further evidence...', ha, I swear, I didn't write a single lie, it was all the conclusion of the investigation, but when I testified in court, Anyone who reads the report will think that the girl behaved indiscreetly, her identity and occupation are suspicious, and she went out alone at night, maybe it was a money dispute afterwards...

What?

Dorothy understood and was furious: How can you?

Slimani looked ashamed and did not dare to look up.

Yes, I know, many people know that it's dirty, but if I don't do it, my boss, my boss's boss will put me, me, I have no choice...

Everyone was silent, no one knew how to respond.

But what you have, you have always had, Xilai said suddenly, It's just that you don't want to, or dare not admit it.

Slimani opened his mouth to speak, but in the end he just bowed his head slumped.

The devil whispers densely, and the evil whispers busy.

Priest Chadvi sighed:

Those who are not firm in their minds will always have disasters. Those who linger and look back, the road ahead will be difficult.

Click to download the APP of this site, massive novels, free to read!