Violet and the Thorn Bird

The size of the underground city exceeded Garr's expectations, and it was expanding westward day and night.Ratmen's daily ration is just a piece of bread. They are small in size and can easily enter and exit the crude excavation tunnels.Due to their habits, they will not have any problems if they do not bask in the sun for a long time, but overwork, darkness and humidity make most of them seriously ill.

"Don't be lazy!" The supervisor with a long whip lashed the Ratman's bony back and stepped on his tail, "Stand up! Hurry up! You must dig to the designated place today, otherwise you will not get a drop of water !"

The Rat Man's nails were cracked, his skin and flesh mixed with the soil into dark brown scabs, and his tail was crushed until it felt numb with pain.His dry lips parted helplessly, swallowing saliva with difficulty.Dirty water was dripping overhead, and the Rat Man stuck out his tongue, desperate for some moisture.

"I said you won't get a drop of water." The supervisor kicked his head, and the mud from the soles of his shoes hit his face, "Get up, how many times have you fallen down? You have to work to death, not here Raising slackers! Dirty crawlers, hurry up!"

"Show mercy." The stooped old man clasped his hands together, put his hands on his forehead, knelt down on the ground, and choked up, "Please, give him some water, I am willing to do another job, he only needs a little water , please."

"Your trembling claws can't dig through the mud and rocks, and you can't even finish your own share!" The overseer kicked the old man, "You should be dealt with when the newcomer comes next week! I won't give him water Yes, because he didn't finish his basic work today, he just pretended to be sick and lazy! If he doesn't recover, then he will be dealt with together with you!"

The old man pressed his forehead to the ground, clasped his withered claws together again, and his begging turned into a pleading.

"Don't delay work!" The overseer dragged the sick Rat Man, threw it against the wall, stepped on the wall, pulled off his robe, and aimed at his head, "Okay, I will give you water mercifully! Slacker, open your mouth and catch it, here is fresh water! Your source of life, drink it quickly, this is just one chance."

The rat man hugged his head, and the stench poured over his head.His eyes leaked from the gaps in his arms, and he stared at the overseer's neck, breathing fast, veins emerging from the backs of his paws.

"Keep working when you're full!" The overseer kicked him down, "If you make excuses to collapse again, I'll have someone drag you out immediately. You won't come back after dragging out, just like the trash before, understand Do you? Keep working!"

"Dude, Dude..." the old man dragged him, moved slowly in the darkness, wiped his eyes and choked, "Cheer up...good boy."

Dude's body was rubbing the dirt, and his legs were deformed and bent due to squatting for a long time.He was dragged to the digging hole, his eyes frantically searching in the dimness.

"Teacher..." he asked hoarsely, "Teacher...do you still remember...the blue sky and...the wilderness..."

"The wind in the wilderness is unrestrained." The old man squatted down and picked up the dirt a few times. "The blue sky in the wilderness stretches as far as the eye can see, and the magic forest at the end of the wilderness is lush...I still remember these scenes, Dude...we will return home eventually."

"How long do I have to wait?" Dude turned over and lay on the ground, "How long do I have to wait...I have already forgotten what the blue sky looks like. My heart is already clogged with hatred...I can no longer see the sky...I want to kill Only the people here... these villains." His sharp claws sank into the soil, he clenched into a fist, and hit the ground one after another, with the heavy pounding sound, his voice became passionate and sharp, "Kill them... Blood for blood... We will go home... We will bite... bite their necks off... occupy their land... enslave them... trample on their descendants, let the Ratmen stand up, we will eventually Will take revenge!" His raised eyes were red, and he gritted his teeth, "Let's not wait any longer...don't rely on...the Ratmen have their own fangs and claws!"

"There are tens of thousands of Ratmen under our feet." Gal scribbled a picture, roughly drawing the range that can be seen now, "Randolph sent more Ratmen underground without permission to work for the Green family .”

"Cities? Why are the Green people building underground cities?" Fanny leaned against the table, "They are not ratmen, and humans will die if they lose sunlight. And they are heading west, towards the City of Violet. What does this mean?"

"The project is huge, and the money paid is hard to estimate." Gray hugged his shoulders, "Maybe it's because there is nowhere to grab it above ground? The Green family's land has no way to expand, so Roseanne went underground?"

"That's not her style." Borg took Gall's pen, "I saw the peeking eye, and the temple was also involved."

"It seems that Roseanne has abandoned the little king, and she is doing something else with another ally." Gall said, "There are not only wizards in the ground, but also dwarves."

"It's impossible." Gray stood up straight. "Dwarves don't like doing it! We did take over Roseanne's work, but it was just a gold mine. What did you just say, there are ratmen underneath, and the dwarves don't like it?" Be a hero, but not an accomplice."

"Maybe you should ask your father." Fanny tapped the table, "This matter is almost unheard of, and no one has disclosed it, which shows that both Roseanne and the temple attach great importance to this matter. If we act rashly, the Pope will never It won't be just a warning like last time, he might kill us."

"He can't get out of the silent ice vein." Gal rubbed his back, "If he can only rely on his peeping eyes...then his threat can be reduced."

As long as Gal gets the wings back.

"I still can't believe it." Gray walked around a few times holding his head in disbelief, "What did I hear? An unprecedentedly large city is right under my feet, and there are not only ratmen but also dwarves moving in it. They are digging through the forest , a forest! The people of the stream, even the elves know nothing about it.”

"The role of high-level wizards." The pen on Borg's fingertip slipped around, and he clicked on the east end, "The defense is extraordinary. The source should be in the Green Grass, and then pass through the Deep Forest to reach the city of Violet. It is not sure whether it will expand to other places at the moment, but it can already be seen that Roseanne has cut off the connection between St. Forth and the north, and she has drawn a line in the middle of the kingdom that belongs to her. This is a very dangerous thing .”

The kingdom is clearly divided, and the north, east, west, and middle sides of everyone tightly surround St. Forth, making it the place farthest from the abyss.Behind the Shenbing Forest is the giant shield built by the old Brown. It is indestructible and is the final barrier to enter St. Foss.But it is also because of this barrier that the entrance and exit of Saint Foss can only be opened from the east and west sides, and there is no direct road to Ice Lake City.However, the most loyal army in this kingdom is the Reck Legion of Ice Lake City. They not only guard the north, but also have the obligation to fight for the king at any time. In the past, most of the Holy Knights in St. Vers were led by Stowe from the City of Violet. Glenn was in charge, and Green had never been the leader, but after Xia Ge died, Borg left, and Tabor inherited Violet, the position of head was handed over to Randolph.

If this underground city is used for combat, then as long as Roseanne gives an order, it will cut off all the channels for St. Foss to seek help, and at the same time prevent the Valkyries in the far north from getting any news, plus the blessing of the Holy Knights , the whole St. Vers will be decided by her.

"Does she want to be queen?" Gall said, "now, when the abyss might strike back at any moment?"

"It's now," Borg said, "that chaos creates opportunity."

"Stupid." Gall sat on the chair. "The slaves want to be kings, and they are not afraid of the race they have provoked. Should I call this courage?"

"For her, it doesn't matter whether it's a snake man or a rat man." Fanny looked down at the picture, "They are just goods for making money. Who would be afraid of being bitten by the goods? But she is really brave, tens of thousands of rat men...she Only violent suppression can be used to maintain calm."

"Have you heard of it, miss?" Gal propped his head up with one hand, "No matter how modest a race is, there is a bottom line of tolerance. Repeatedly stepping on the edge is an extremely dangerous thing. Violence often returns violence."

"You mean the Ratmen will resist." Fanny looked at him, "They have nothing but numbers, and they are unarmed. Twenty Ratmen are no match for a temple wizard."

"I'm just making an analogy," Gall said. "Don't worry about it."

"I should tell my dad," Gray said, "but he probably won't believe it."

"Tell your father?" Fanny disagreed, "What are we going to do? It doesn't matter to us if she builds a city. We can go back to the wilderness before the end of winter and leave it to them to worry about. They should worry about it." Man is king, and his sword is directed at himself."

"This is my home too," Gray said. "If Roseanne wants to harm my people, I must do something."

"That's too bad," Fanny said. "Before we do that, we have to figure out what she's up to."

"Let me try." Gal circled his left eye with one hand, "With a reward."

Only Borg understood that Garl's reward referred to the demon king's wings guarded by the dwarves.Gal has a characteristic. When he is in a bad mood or has other thoughts, his words will become very concise.

"Wait a minute." Fanny raised her hand suddenly, and she looked at everyone, "I remembered! Smell of sulfur! There is a smell of sulfur here!"

The blacksmith's shop in Saint Vers.

Seeger was sweating from the tip of his nose from the steam, he smashed the blade hard, and the surrounding area was full of smoke.The weather has entered autumn, but it is still so hot that people want to stick their tongues out.Seeger didn't finish his work until the sun went down. He wiped his sweat and walked out of the shop with twenty copper coins.Sig bought some medicine and bread with these twenty copper coins.He no longer lives in the old yard in Jodont, but in the alleys of the slums, because he has raised Carol.

Seeger pushed open the door, and there was a little light inside, which was a hanging ball that glowed at night, which he brought out from home.Carol is not here, she is inside, weaving some wicker baskets.

She prefers to be in the dark now, not to be watched.The scales on the tail of the snake are mottled, but most of the wounds have healed.She cut off her long hair, leaned over the low table, and fiddled with a small marble.

"Carol." Sig pushed the medicine and bread onto the table, "Eat something, then take the medicine, and you can rest early today."

Carol's pinball rolled to the ground, and she bent over to pick it up, looking at Sig.

"How about something to eat?" Seeger broke the bread and handed it to her, "I will go out tomorrow, please take care of my home. Is anyone coming today?"

Carol shook her head.

"...wait until the day after tomorrow." Seeger ate the bread slowly, "I can rest for an afternoon the day after tomorrow, and I will take you to bask in the sun. The beds at home are very damp, and they also need to be dried."

He sat cross-legged beside Carol, talking about trivial things in the dim light.The water boiled and steamed, and Sig poured it for her, flushing the dark medicine.

Carol can't go to the doctor, and it's actually very difficult to take her out. Everyone here is willing to go crazy for the snake man.But Seeger thought she might need to see a doctor, not just in physical pain, but she also seemed to have some loss of appetite and seemed lethargic.

Find a way to find a reliable doctor.

Sig thought before going to sleep.

Can't delay any longer.

Carol was lying on the bed, her tail wagging slightly under the quilt.She touched her belly, and slowly opened her mouth, revealing some new fangs.

Seeger was sleeping on a chair outside, breathing steadily.

Two days later, Seager took the cloaked Carol out of the house, and they walked through the narrow lanes, away from the eyes of drunks and homeless people, to a more remote place.

Seeger knocked on the door, and a haughty woman walked out. She looked at Carol, "Come in. The doctor has been waiting for you for a long time, you should learn to obey the time."

"Three o'clock." Seeger looked at the watch as he entered the door. "I don't think we're late..."

"Respect." The woman turned and glared at him, "You need to wait in advance, not the doctor waiting for you. With all due respect, Mr. Jodont, you really should relearn etiquette."

"Sorry." Sig put down the epee.

"What's wrong with your girl?" The doctor was a dwarf with snow-white hair and beard.He stood on the high ground made of wooden cabinets, put his reading glasses on, and stared at Carol with a frown, "Come closer to the girl, come here, I need to see you, take off the cloak, no one here cares what race you are."

Carol swam close, and she was silent for a moment.The doctor knocked on the table impatiently, "Hurry up, are all snake people so awkward?"

Carola dropped her cloak, "I'm just an exception, sir."

"Oh, you can talk." The doctor pointed his head and stared at her, "Well... Open your mouth, yes, your fangs have grown back. Let me see your eyes again, they are beautiful in color and very powerful."

Sig sat by the side all the time, and Carol never spoke to him.

"Okay, okay." The doctor wrote something on the paper, "I see. Boy, stand up."

Seeger immediately stood up, holding his hands behind his back in a little panic.

"Relax!" the doctor waved. "Is everyone so nervous you see? No cavalier stance here. Your girl is recovering well, but she may need more nourishment, which is good news, because her stomach There is a baby. Of course I don't know the habits of the snake people. Maybe a group of babies. You have to hide her, young brat. There are too many people with strange habits here. Do you understand? You Why do you look so stupid?"

"You, you said..." Seeger was at a loss, "You said she, she was pregnant..."

"Yes, I'm pregnant," said the doctor. "About three months. I need to ask more questions." The doctor pushed back his glasses seriously and stared at Sig. "Are you a couple?"

Sig was dumbfounded.

"If not, then she's dangerous." The doctor closed his notebook. "Randolph's whorehouses are all over the place, making everyone want a snake. If she's not your partner, then you have no reason to own her, Because you have no money or power, anyone here can snatch her away. Of course, it is possible that she is your partner, but at least the law will give you some protection, and the temple will not openly embarrass a pair of poor little guys. Zorton Mr. Te, your sister is married to Stoke, and perhaps they can help you a little... if you are a couple."

Seeger blushed under the eyes of the doctor. He was still too young, and women were more like rumored temptations to him.He took a few seconds to sort out his emotions, then grabbed Carol's skirt and said to the doctor, "Yes... yes... I need to do something? Eat, eat some meat?"

"You are healthy." The doctor jumped off the high ground. "You should prepare some meat for your partner, stupid boy."

Seeger stood where he was, almost rolling his tongue to Carol.

child.

God.

He was still a child himself.

Carol was still a teenage girl.

"Humanity's dirty inheritance." Carol put on her cloak, and she said in a tone of despair, "The bastards of the brothel."

"No..." Sig looked at her.

But I don't know how to comfort him.