The City of Marronligar

If it weren't for my friend who "swimmed" in the sewers many times (for a reward, of course), not only did he live to complete the work, but also generously shared his experience, I probably would never know what the world below the surface is like The "scenery".The history of this drainage system is longer than that of the Silver Bay Tower Library, and in a sense it is the oldest part of the entire Marenliga.

It has been out of the sun all year round, and it has contained and digested the dirt and waste water that people want to keep away for hundreds of years. It is dirty and dangerous.But the city cannot exist without it, just as light cannot exist independently of the opposite of darkness.

——Miscellaneous Notes on the Silver Bay Tower, the Municipal Facilities of Marunliga

This is the first time Adrian has entered the temple.Of course, they did not enter the prayer hall where the believers and priests stayed, but under Hagrid's guidance, they came to the armory managed by the church police through the side stairs.A Torreso tribesman, a bounty hunter, under the guarantee of a heretic judge, walked into the temple in the center of the city of Marenliga with a legitimate reason-this is indeed a unique experience.

While filling his quiver with the order's inventory, out of curiosity, Adrian asked Louis in a low voice, "Have you been here before, Master?"

Louis retracted the sharpened swords into their sheaths: "I have been here a long time ago. I was given a name in this temple, but the Christian name is too long and hard to remember, I have long forgotten."

According to diocesan tradition, descendants of believers can "request" the Christian name from the order.For commoners who can't afford a family feast, it's the equivalent of a newborn baptism.In this way, Louis can actually have some relationship with the religious order, but he doesn't necessarily care about this religious identity, and Hagrid and other orthodox religious members will not recognize a believer who has forgotten his Christian name.

After Louis and Adrian confirmed the equipment, Hagrid had already brought an old map of the sewers from the temple's archives, and forced them to quickly write down the route on the map with his cold gaze.These underground hubs built centuries ago are complex and maze-like. If there is no map to guide them, when the torches in their hands are burned out, the only thing left is darkness and the threat of death.

Hagrid crossed his arms, stared at Louis and asked, "You should have been in the sewer."

Louis glanced at him: "Of course, bounty hunters like places that are dirty, dark, and have monsters."

Hagrid turned his attention to Adrian again: "What about you?"

Adrian immediately remembered the drug dealer who was secretly killed and thrown into the dock sewer at the behest of his uncle Samuel.It was also that night that he was "caught" by Louis, who was still a stranger at the time.

So Adrian shook his head stiffly—it was easier to lie with actions than with words.But he changed his mind, Hagrid was also present when he handed over the account book to Samuel that night, maybe he knew what he had done, and now he just asked knowingly.

Adrian didn't look at Louis' expression, but he could guess that the master was probably smiling in his heart.

Fortunately, Hagrid just went through a process of inquiry, and didn't delve into the secret behind Adrian's expression: "It's very humid under there, and the wind direction is uncertain. I will give you special kerosene and torches. For There is also a corresponding potion in the temple for the poisonous mist produced by the rot, so if you cover your mouth and nose with a cloth soaked in the potion, it should last longer."

As Hagrid spoke, he picked up the broadsword placed on the weapon rack.The broad-edged sword has a sharp edge, and the cross handle and the lead-injected weight ball are covered with simple and simple patterns, which match the sturdy plate armor. "I will lead the teaching police to advance steadily from several nearby entrances and block their escape routes."

Extended shield|gun, although it is not convenient for quick action, but in the hands of these long-term trained instructors, it is still very effective in defense.

Louis had no objection to Hagrid's arrangement: "Okay, then we will leave our backs to you."

Without delay, the three picked up the items they needed and walked out of the temple.

"I don't want you to miscalculate the risks of this operation," Hagrid said again. "It's not just these two cases today, there may be other people without light hidden in the sewer."

Adrian had to admit that he was starting to get nervous.But when he saw Louis' calm appearance as usual, the tension in his heart quickly calmed down.

As a veteran bounty hunter, Louis Cormac must have encountered more dangerous situations - this was Adrian's idea.

As if sensing what Adrian was thinking, Louis patted him on the shoulder lightly: "You just need to prioritize your own safety."

Adrian nodded—he knew he could trust Louis' ability and judgment.

The wet kerchief smelled strongly of grass.After tying it on his face and covering his mouth and nose, Adrian could hardly smell anything other than the medicine.However, this smell is not unpleasant, nor will it suffocate people, but inexplicably stimulates people to wake up.

The torch poured with special kerosene burned very vigorously, and the flame color was yellower than ordinary fire.Especially after going through the ruined entrance and down the old steps into the sewer, the importance of the light source is even more prominent.

According to Hagrid's arrangement, the teaching police that can be dispatched at the moment have been divided into several teams of four, entering the sewers from different locations in the central city, holding shields in hand, and advancing in line to compress the activity space of the Lightless as much as possible.

On the other side of the temple, Louis and Adrian, who are the main force in mobile combat, walked in front of the teaching police, holding a torch in one hand and a weapon in the other, stepping into the long darkness step by step under the light flickering under the torch The wrapped underground world.

Hagrid joined them both.Not to "supervise the battle", but to fulfill his duty to fight for the sect.

The sewers of Marunliga are quite spacious, with arched brick roofs like bridge holes over the Pearl River.The road-like pedestrian platforms on both sides of the canal are higher than the water surface, covered with a layer of silt brought by the running water from the surface during the rainy season, and moss grows in the brick cracks.

It was late autumn, so the sewer was naturally wet and cold, and wind from unknown directions blew from the winding pipes from time to time, mixed with the smell of decaying animals and plants.The swarm of rats and the bats hanging upside down were disturbed by the torches in the hands of the "intruders", and immediately dispersed towards the dark corners that had not yet been illuminated by the fire.

Although the use of the sense of smell was hindered by the strong smell of the potion, Adrian still found clues by relying on keen observation: just under the steps of the entrance and at the corner leading to the water collection channel, he found several coins printed on the mud. footprints.Louis immediately raised his hand, signaling the people behind him to stop temporarily.He and Adrian squatted next to the footprints, carefully identifying the shape and size of the traces.

"These footprints are new." Louis quickly made a judgment. "Larger-than-normal claw-like footprints, and the soles of the shoes are still strapped around the feet and don't come off completely. These are clearly the Lightless. Besides..."

There are also normal shoe prints belonging to humans.

Besides the Lightless, there was at least one human who entered the sewers before them.

—Would that be Sadhu?

Adrian held his breath.He stood up immediately and reported to Hagrid: "There may be ordinary humans in here."

Hagrid nodded: "Follow the footprints and continue looking inside."

The silt on the brick surface is of different shades, and the footprints extend intermittently deep into the sewer.The further they go, the more they can analyze the situation reflected by the footprints: the step length of the two lightless people is obviously larger than that of ordinary people, they don't always keep in a straight line, and they will leave some fresh trails at the front of the footprints. The claw marks; the string of human shoe prints is more consistent and easier to identify.

Compared with Adrian, Louis is naturally more familiar with the environment in front of him, and he can even spare some energy to joke with Adrian while following the line: "Look, we are walking through the underground of Maren Liga, and there are snakes and rats around us. There are also bats, are they as vibrant as they are on the ground?"

Hagrid gave the bounty hunter a dissatisfied look.

Adrian, who had always been on high alert, was almost choked by Louis' words: "Master, unlike the cats, dogs, and birds on the ground, those animals are very dangerous. The 'life' here is a murderous opportunity for humans."

"You should change your way of thinking appropriately." Louis lowered the torch in his hand to see the footprints ahead more clearly. "The sewer itself is not a danger. On the contrary, there is nothing more generous and selfless than it. Throughout the whole of Marenliga, it is the only one that accepts everything that is rejected and abandoned by the city. From this perspective, it is the one that completes the city. The beauty and greatness also carry another kind of reality of Maren Liga."

Adrian insisted: "But the sewers are dirty."

Louis sighed exaggeratedly: "You are still too young to break out of the confines of a 'civilized person'."

Hagrid had heard enough of the speculation surrounding the sewers.He coughed lightly, motioning for Louis to focus on his work.

Adrian stopped at the branch where the main and auxiliary water collection channels joined.

He frowned slightly, and said to Louis and Hagrid, "From here, the footprints are not all the way." He pointed to the side canal that was narrower than the main canal that he had passed through when he came. "People go in one direction, the Lightless ones go the other way. If that man is really Sadhu, he may have strayed in the process of finding his family."

Adrian looked at Hagrid, waiting for the next step.

Now a decision needs to be made: In the limited time, should they pursue the Lightless Ones non-stop, or go find someone?At this moment, Adrian prefers the latter.

Hagrid's decisive choice relieved his hanging heart: "Let's save people first."

"Thank you." Adrian breathed a sigh of relief.

Louis smiled and patted Adrian on the shoulder lightly, with the intention of both encouraging and comforting.

"I don't know what to thank for that." Hagrid still had a straight face, making it impossible for outsiders to guess his inner activities-this is probably the necessary quality of an "excellent Inquisitor". "But move faster."

After clarifying the priority tracking target, Adrian suddenly felt a lot brighter in his heart.Following the single footsteps, they turned into a slightly low auxiliary canal.The four teaching policemen holding shields in parallel at the rear seemed a bit cramped, and adjusted their formation accordingly.

Compared with the straighter and wider main canal, the secondary canal is like a subterranean capillary.The adjourned teaching police marked every corner to prevent getting lost in the winding and interconnected pipe network.If the location based on the map is correct, they have walked directly below the market.

Not long after, with the light of the torch, Louis and Adrian spotted a figure lying under the wall in front of them.The group of rats gathered around, trying to eat the raw meat, but were immediately dispersed by the firelight and the sound of footsteps.

Before he had time to think about it, Adrian handed the torch to Louis and ran straight over.He half-kneeled next to the prostrate body, carefully turned the man over with his shoulders, leaned on his knee, and at the same time stretched his hands towards the man's neck.

——His pulse was still beating, and his body was warm.Breathing was weak, but at least it wasn't dead.

"He's still alive, just unconscious." Adrian breathed a sigh of relief.

The unconscious man was wearing a priest's linen robe and lace-up leather boots. The clothes were rubbed against the mud, and there were many gaps bitten by rats, and some bite marks had already appeared on his hands.Beside him lay an ax for chopping wood, besides the torch which had been extinguished by the damp.

Hagrid took a closer look and immediately confirmed his identity: "Yes, he is Sadhu." Although the expression did not change obviously, it is not difficult to judge from Hagrid's tone that he was as relieved as Adrian. "Probably because of the inhalation of dirty air. Ordinary torches are easily extinguished, and when you can't see your fingers, people may also fall into a faint due to fear and tension."

Adrian shook Shadu's shoulder lightly twice, but the poor trainee priest didn't respond, and he might not wake up for a while.

"If left alone, he'll die here soon. We have to send Sadhu out of the sewer." Hagrid thought for a while, and called two teaching policemen. "Go a little further and you will find a shaft leading to the surface. There is a market outside. Take Shadu out first and ask a doctor to check his condition. If there is no serious problem, bring him back to the temple as soon as possible."

The two teaching policemen immediately complied.One of them carried Sadhu on his back, and the other picked up the shield for his comrades, and walked towards the exit.

"Now, we only have one task left." Louis returned the torch to Adrian. "Let's go, the next thing we have to do is hunt the Lightless."

"Yeah." Adrian smiled at him.Although the lower half of his face was blocked, Louis could tell from the stretched eyebrows that Adrian was in good condition.

Louis had to admit that Adrian was really likable, and it even made people forget for a moment that he came from a controversial and feared family.However, when he is alert and ready to fight, Adrian will show another "more Torresso-style" posture.

Just like this moment.

They returned to the footsteps of the Lightless Ones when they galloped.Perhaps it was because he no longer had to worry about the future, Adrian's expression became calmer, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.After tracking for a certain distance, he suddenly stopped and raised his hand to signal, while several people behind him stopped and subconsciously held their breath.

In the dark depths that have not been cut open by the light, there are faint movements that do not belong to humans and snakes and rats.

"They're just ahead."

The author has something to say: RuedeSaint-BritishSeaPower

According to the routine of the game, if you choose to chase monsters, people will die (