The City of Marronligar

Of the dozen or so pubs in the Harbor District, the one I visit most often and get the most credit for is an unnamed establishment.A three-masted ship is painted crookedly on the signboard at the door, like the handwriting of the boss's young daughter.

The boss was a sailor in his early years, and was blinded in one eye by a harpoon while fishing in a small boat.For fear of frightening his children, he always wore a half blindfold, which often led new guests to mistake him for a good pirate.Every time I saved enough money to pay the bill, he would grin dryly, turn around and order the back kitchen guy to bring me half a piece of bread.

——Miscellaneous Notes of Silver Bay Tower: The Diet and Recreation of Commoners in the Harbor District

The Marenliga harbor area is a little less busy at night than it is during the day, but that doesn't mean it's all that quiet.On the contrary, after nightfall, the noise here is filled with a different kind of vitality—whether it is the exotic sailors coming from the pier, the fishermen and workers living nearby, or the three religions in the civilian area or even the aristocratic area, they are all keen to enjoy this season of the year. Spend time somewhere with the sea breeze blowing and always smelling of fish.

There are usually two or three card tables in the tavern, either for dice (most likely to be robbed of half of the drink price by a cheating hostess), or for playing a few decks of cards that have been polished by the sweat of the hands of the guests. .If you are after "advanced pastime" such as playing chess, the boss and regulars in the tavern will usually sneer: "Then you should go to the 'Rosary Church' opened by Torresso's family, a silk handkerchief for those beautiful girls It's worth the whole family's wealth of a poor girl with a drink."

So did this night.

The boss nicknamed "One-Eyed Dragon" wiped the shiny old counter, chatting with familiar regular customers from time to time.A drunk man was lying on the counter, limp as a puddle of mud.Under normal circumstances, the boss is not happy to receive such obviously alcoholic guests, but this person is not drunk, and he is not in debt, so he just let him go.

When a new guest came in from the door, the boss raised his head and was about to greet him habitually, but he saw the man look around and walked straight to the drunk man by the stage.

——Are you looking for someone?

The boss couldn't help but look at the man a few more times: the black hooded cloak blocked most of his face, underneath was a fashionable outfit for young people in the aristocratic district, with a flowing shirt with wide sleeves and a tight waistcoat with leather wristbands And the sword belt, the dark pattern on it matches the knee-high boots; the ornamental sword hangs at the waist, which is shorter than the standard sword of the city watch.

No matter how you look at it, you are the son of a family with a background - the boss secretly came to a conclusion.He has also seen this kind of person, who was so suppressed by stereotypes or boring marriages at home, he disguised himself and went to places that no one knew, such as the Harbor District, to spend half a day of carefree life for a little money.

However, the mysterious customer in front of him didn't seem to be the kind of person he had seen before.

The well-dressed stranger put his shoulders on the drunk man's shoulders and with some effort pulled him up from his chair.The drunk was still immersed in the sea of ​​alcohol and hadn't woken up. His legs and body were limp, and he hiccupped while twitching his shoulders.

Sensing the sight of the boss, the stranger half-turned around, but only half of his face was still exposed under the cloak, and the boss couldn't see the other person's eyes hidden in the shadows.

"I'm here to pick up my uncle. I hope he didn't cause you any trouble. How much does he owe for wine?" The voice was clear, and it sounded like a young man in his 20s.

The boss hesitated for a few seconds: "He has already paid—"

Before he finished speaking, the young man took out a half-palm-sized money bag from under the cloak, and gently placed it on the counter in front of the boss. The outline of the coin was faintly revealed behind the thin linen cloth.

"——It's accountable." The boss blinked his only remaining eye at the money bag.

The mysterious young man seemed to smile at him.

At this time, the boss suddenly noticed something hanging on the front of the young man's clothes.The reflection of the metal flashed in front of him, like a snake-shaped pendant.

—Snake pendant?

The boss immediately realized the identity of the person in front of him.

"Go slowly." He added cautiously.

"Thank you."

Apart from these words, the young man didn't say anything, and began to drag the drunk man to the door.

Most of the cargo passages extending from the gate of the harbor area to the wharf are flat and firm, and beyond the flat roads are open spaces paved with cobblestones, and the depressions are filled with black sludge.

Adrian helped the drunk man, passed a group of sailors leaning against the wall and gagging, small vendors with smiles on their faces, and guards who came to drink after changing the guard, and stopped at a secluded corner of the pier.Next to it is the iron gate leading to the city sewer.The rusty iron gate was half open, and it was dark inside, revealing a gloomy coolness.

At this time, Adrian had completely restrained all the previous expressions, and his face was as cold as the dagger in his hand.He turned sideways, looked coldly at the drunk who would not wake up for a while, and wedged the dagger into the opponent's body with lightning speed.

Like a dexterous swimming fish, the sword edge got in through the gap between the ribs and pierced the heart accurately.The drunk man was about to struggle, but Adrian immediately covered his mouth with his hand, blocking back the blood and howling that might gush out at any time.

After disposing of the corpse, Adrian stuffed the things he found from the drunk into his back pocket, and quickly left the sewer.He squatted down on the edge of the embankment, ready to wash off the blood on his hands with sea water.

"It's a fresh face."

Suddenly, a strange man's deep and magnetic voice came from behind.

Just now, Adrian didn't notice anyone approaching.

Like a cheetah whose tail was stepped on, he bounced up reflexively, turned to face the source of the sound, and put the dagger that had just stabbed someone across in front of him, his left hand holding the hilt was still dripping wet .

The man was not in a hurry, leaning against the crate piled up, with one arm around his waist and a long pipe in the other, the rising smoke was faintly visible in the moonlight.He was dressed very casually, with his collar half open, a light brown long-sleeved jacket tied around his waist, and a five-inch short knife tied to each side of his short boots.

During the one-sided confrontation, the stranger spoke again: "At least in the city of Marenliga, I should have seen all the members of the Torresso family. Are you new here?"

Adrian didn't speak, but stared at each other vigilantly.He was already standing on the edge of the embankment, and there was no room for retreat.

The other party raised his eyes and smiled, and said, "Don't be so nervous, I still have a deep friendship with your current patriarch."

"Who are you?" Adrian lowered his voice, his eyes covered by the brim of his hat were filled with murderous aura. "Why are you following me?"

"Relax, I'm not the enemy."

"Where did you start following?"

"Start with that tavern."

"what--"

"They say I'm not the enemy anymore." He sighed softly, tapped his pipe on the corner of the crate, and glanced at the iron gate at the entrance to the sewer. "Samuel made you do it?"

Hearing his uncle's name, Adrian was stunned for a moment: kill the drug dealer who sold "Bliss Tobacco" in the harbor area, and eliminate the criminals who threatened the security of Maren Liga—this is indeed the actual ruler of the Torreso family, Sa Muir means.

But what about the man in front of him?Why did you mention Samuel directly?Adrian was sure he hadn't seen him.Judging from his appearance, this man was ten years older than himself, about the same age as his uncle, and dressed like a bounty hunter.If he was going to spread the word about what he saw, Adrian would kill him without hesitation.

"This has nothing to do with you." Adrian clenched the hilt of his sword. "What do you want to do?"

The man put the pipe back on his waist: "It's nothing, I just give you some advice as a 'senior'." He stood up straight and moved his stiff neck and shoulders. "Be more careful next time, don't let people stare at you and don't notice. Also, it's best to see the blood if you don't see it. If you run into a guard halfway, it won't be clear."

After saying this, he left Adrian and turned away without leaving his name behind.Adrian stopped where he was, with his brows furrowed, watching the figure disappear into the dark night in the harbor area.

More than an hour later, Adrian changed out of the blood and mud-stained outfit, put on a more decent dress, and appeared in another place in Marenliga: the Flying Lion Mansion.

The Feishi Mansion is located in the northeast corner of the noble district.As the residence of the Torresso family in the commercial city-state of Marenlica, its luxury is self-evident.And on any night when guests need to be entertained, the elaborate decoration before the banquet and the meticulous service during the banquet make it look as graceful as the head girl of the Rose Temple.

But under the gorgeous appearance piled up with money, there is the fighting instinct carved in the bones of the Torresso family, which can never be washed away.With a long history, a heresy belief that was once opposed to the religious order, a physique and special blood that are naturally better at fighting than ordinary people, and a paranoid and fanatical personality, this is Torreso, known as the "Clan of the Abyss".

Facing foreign enemies, they will show their fangs without any scruples until one side wins or both lose; if there is no enemy, they will inevitably fight against each other until they wade a way to the peak of power in blood.Even though a lot of wealth and prestige have been accumulated through ocean exploration and business, this essence has not changed, and some people still regard Torreso as an ominous and dirty bloodline.

Whether it is Samuel, the current patriarch, or Adrian, who has grown up to 20 years old in his old manor and just came to Marunliga, they are all aware of this.As long as they change their costumes and put on armor, they will become assassins, mercenaries, fighters, and may also degenerate into heinous criminals.

When Adrian entered the hall from the side stairs, the scene was already very lively.Bards and musicians played music and chanted at the long table, providing pleasant accompaniment for the drinks and conversations of the dignitaries.Servants carrying carved trays walked nimbly among the guests, and the smiles on their faces were like masks that had never been taken off.Samuel's younger sister, Sophia, the hostess of the Flying Lions Mansion, was bathed in envious or yearning gazes while carrying layers of skirts. She drank a lot of wine, but her eyes remained clear all the time.

Adrian has been helping manage the manor in his hometown. He has long been accustomed to a quiet and low-key life.

If he had a choice, he would rather be bored in the room keeping accounts or checking accounts than talking and laughing with those big shots.It's not bad to be sent out to do shady tasks, it's better than socializing.Therefore, Adrian just stood in the corner of the hall, watching his uncle Samuel and the heretic inquisitor of the order, the governor of Marenliga, having a drink and chatting from a distance.

No one pays special attention to him.

Through the expressions of the three people, Adrian guessed the content of their conversation moment by moment.He knew that Samuel and the heretic judge named Hagrid were old acquaintances, but the relationship was not very good; as for the Governor Morgis who wanted to concentrate power in his own hands, it was Samuel and Hagrid. The opponent - Adrian only learned about this.He looked at it for a while, then lowered his head, staring at the silver wine glass in his hand in a daze.

After the Governor walked away, Samuel and Hagrid walked towards him together.

Samuel was 15 years older than Adrian, but he looked surprisingly young. He was a handsome and cunning man.In order to gain a firm foothold in this city of gold, a comprehensive view of the situation and tough measures are necessary.

"Uncle." Adrian put down the wine glass in his hand, and nodded slightly to Samuel in a regular manner.

Samuel walked gracefully between Adrian and Hagrid, and talked about confidential matters with his nephew without any scruples: "Have you done what I told you to do?"

Adrian glanced at Hagrid cautiously, then immediately looked away.It seemed that the relationship between the uncle and the Inquisitor was so close that there was no secret.

"It's done. The account book happened to be on him, and I brought it back." He thought for a while, but still chose not to mention the mysterious man who was following him.

Samuel nodded with a smile: "Very good." He turned to Hagrid again and formally introduced Adrian's identity. "This kid's name is Adrian, and he's my nephew. He used to help those veterans manage the manor, and he just came over from his hometown a few days ago. Recently, there are too many things in Maren Liga, and Sophia and I can't handle them alone. Ai Adrian, this is Hagrid Sauron, the people from the church, I told you. We have been friends for many years."

"Not friends, just a long-term cooperation." Hagrid said coldly.

Adrian noticed that Samuel's expression froze for a moment.

Hagrid, who was always stern, looked back and forth between Samuel and Adrian and his nephew.The black hair inherited from the ancestors, the green eyes inherited from the ancestors, and even the body shape that is naturally suitable to be an assassin are somewhat similar.

Samuel didn't force Adrian to chat with him, and sent Adrian away with a few random words.Adrian was relieved, and after saluting, he turned and left.

"You're going to let him take over from you? Just such a brat?" Hagrid watched as Adrian walked out of the hall.

"How is it possible?" Samuel replied lightly. "It's not his turn yet, the heat is not enough. But in the future... after a while, after we finish dealing with the catastrophe... let's talk about it."

The author has something to say: this chapter writes bgm: Path-Abidingness-MarvinCopp (the source is the same as the previous chapter)

the real beginning of the story

ps I made up a certain character based on the appearance of Ezio in Assassin's Creed in the bloodline short film