The City of Marronligar

Virtue should originate from people's consensus on "excellent quality", and become a signpost to point out the direction and a rein to restrain those who violate the rules.It teaches people how to live and how to understand their own life.

But with the passage of time, unconsciously, the virtues of the aristocratic class have begun to deteriorate-it has become a kind of shackles, a kind of shackles, a kind of denial and deprivation of humanity.Based on the dogma of "what a qualified nobleman can't do", the red tape of the noble class gradually increased to the point of grotesque, which instead found a reason for the oppression of people.

The "unclean" are expelled from their homes, twisted in pursuit of the sacred blood, and even secular thoughts are regarded as a kind of betrayal.

——Miscellaneous Notes of the Silver Bay Tower·The Virtue of Nobility

The firewood in the brazier was burning, and the warm air was gently pushed around.There was a wooden basin on the table, and the clear water in the basin had been stained red by the blood-stained white cloth.A slit was opened in the wooden window, which also let in a ray of wind blowing in from the outside, shaking the candle flames held by the iron candlesticks from time to time, casting blurred shadows on the wall.

This time, it was Adrian who healed Louis.

He remembered what had happened before: in this room, Louis had bandaged his wound, and then there was that unexpected kiss.But until then, it wasn't people they were dealing with, they were dealing with the Lightless.Adrian remembered that the atmosphere between them didn't seem to be very harmonious at that time, but the specific reason is no longer clear.

Taking out the arrowhead consumed most of Adrian's energy.Although Louis is not the kind of person who is afraid of pain, Adrian is still used to paying attention to each other's every expression. As long as there is something wrong, he will stop immediately, which actually makes Louis a little distressed.

The thin thread passed through the needle hole, the needle passed through the flesh, and then the thin thread was carefully tightened—the monotonous movements were repeated slowly.The movements of Adrian's hands are not fast, but they are very steady, and there is a kind of dedication to "excellence".

As if to relieve Adrian's nervousness, Louis pretended to smile relaxedly: "Your craftsmanship is not bad."

Adrian's frown, which was frowned because of concentration, relaxed a little: "I learned a little bit before."

When receiving training at Heshan Manor, although he was not short of arms and legs like he was on the battlefield, bumps and bumps were still inevitable.Parents died young, and there are no relatives to rely on. Adrian is used to living with his twin sister Chloe, and will help each other deal with each other's wounds when they are injured.

After suturing and applying the medicine, Adrian took the bandage and prepared to complete the last "process".

Louis's broad and strong back was covered with many scars, which were seen in the bathing place.But when he unfolded the bandage against Louis's skin, looped it around the wound, wound it around a few times, and then tied it, when his fingers really touched those old marks, Adrian couldn't help but feel a strange feeling in his heart.

It was a kind of strange throbbing that made his heart beat faster because he was close to the secret, but also reaped endless sadness.

"In the cemetery just now, I saw the name on that tombstone." Adrian said hesitantly.The bandage was already done, he took two steps back, sat stiffly at the wooden table, and wiped off the blood on his hands with the towel placed on the tub. "'Annis Cormac,' that should be your family."

Louis picked up an old coat and put it on. After a long silence, he slowly replied: "Yes, it is my mother who is buried under that tombstone."

Adrian was taken aback.

— This is the house my mother left behind.

— She has been dead for many years.

Thinking about it carefully, Louis did say such a thing.

That is to say, the two of them are sitting in the inheritance left by Annis to Louis, talking about Anis herself, which feels a bit paradoxical.

Children always inherit something from their parents, especially their appearance.Adrian couldn't help thinking, what else did Anis leave for Louis besides the humble house she was in at the moment?Brown curly hair, handsome features, tall figure, or those deep eyes?

Adrian couldn't help looking at Louis' face, guessing the possible similarities between him and his mother, Anis.

And Louis stared at the pot of fire, lost himself in the memory: "My mother was originally from a noble family, and when she was young, she met a handsome bounty hunter by chance, and fell in love with him desperately, and even secretly became pregnant. His kids. But unlike romance novels, it's not a pretty story."

He stood up, threw the torn blood-stained clothes into the brazier with one hand, walked a few more steps, and closed the slightly opened wooden window.

After returning to the bed and sitting down, Louise went on to say: "She was kicked out of the house after the affair with the bounty hunter was exposed, and she was still a few months pregnant. She was deprived of not only the right to inherit the property , and the original surname."

"...Are you saying that 'Cormac' is not your and Lingtang's real surname?"

"That's my mother's middle name. She didn't tell me what family she came from, and I'm not interested in investigating—after all, my existence itself is a stain on their 'noble blood'." Louis laughed lowly at himself. . "As for this house, she used the only jewelry she had as money to buy it from a small businessman who was about to move."

Adrian stared blankly at Louis's plain expression, and felt in a trance for a while—Louis never told him this.

"Probably because she was used to the noble life before. After being kicked out of the house, my mother's health has been very bad. It was also in such a winter that she contracted a serious illness and did not survive until the next spring." Louis said in tone. sank. "I was less than ten years old at that time, and it was my mother's former servant who helped with the funeral."

Annis Cormac's life was undoubtedly short and sad. She failed to get anything, and even the identity, surname and wealth she once had were completely taken away because of "misconduct".She didn't get to see her child grow up, and the child's fate was not going well.

Facing Louis's frank memories, Adrian sat up straight unconsciously: "Your father, what happened afterwards?"

Louis showed a very subtle expression for a moment: "I didn't know who my biological father was until very late. My mother never mentioned him when she was alive."

Adrian couldn't help but reflect on whether he had asked the wrong question, but Louis' response was still calm.

"After my mother died, a bounty hunter came and said she was a 'former friend' of my mother. He adopted me, made me his apprentice, and taught me everything he knew about bounty hunters—whether Knowledge, technology, or rules—all taught me, as well as his proud ability to make weapons. I didn't know this man was my father until he died."

Speaking of this, Adrian suddenly remembered a previous conversation.

Louis said that he learned the technique of making weapons from "the previous president", who was an apprentice under the old president.

Everything fits together.

"Could it be..." Adrian opened his eyes wide.

Louis nodded: "That's right, I'm the illegitimate son of the 'Old President' of the Bounty Hunter Association. He dared to tell me this when he was dying, and said that he wanted to take this secret into his grave. "

Even if a bounty hunter (even if he is the president of the association) has an affair with a lady from a noble family and causes the other party to become a commoner, it will be regarded as a scandalous scandal, and he will offend people who pay special attention to rank. The nobles of the order have seriously affected the reputation of the association in Marenliga.

It was probably for this reason that the old president never dared to admit that Louis was his son.

It's hard to imagine how Louis will feel when he learns the truth.When the old president was dying, he chose to entrust the association to Louis, and at the same time gave him this secret that no one knew.

Only then did Louis know who and whose blood was in his body.

Louis laughed at himself while shaking his head: "Sadly, I resemble this 'father' very much—after all, it was the old president who trained me to be a bounty hunter, taught me how to survive in Marenliga, and told me Where should the association go. He has always been guilty of my mother, but she is dead, what is the use of such cowardly guilt."

It seems that even after knowing his own life experience, Louis still did not regard the old president as his father, but had extremely complicated emotions.It may be resentment, it may be regret.

"In retrospect, the life trajectory I have gone through is also very ironic. I instinctively want to inherit the legacy of the old president, but I want to get rid of his shadow. I am afraid that the tragedy of my mother will happen again, and I am afraid that I will repeat the same mistakes, commit and commit suicide. The same crime as 'father'. In the end, you also know that I failed to keep the association; and later, you appeared."

In the beginning, it was because of Samuel's plan, but now, things have developed beyond the plan.

The flickering candlelight wiped away the murderous aura that was overflowing a few hours ago.At this moment, Adrian's young face looked extremely soft, which made Louis feel dazed for a while: "Samuel is right, in fact, I am to you..."

Adrian subconsciously held his breath.

Louis smiled wryly and concealed the second half of the sentence: "The closer I get to you, the more I let this feeling grow, the more I fear the reappearance of the old days—for the sake of 'big picture' and 'ethics', my biological father Abandoned my mother, and I don't want to be forced to make the same mistake 36 years from now. So—"

In the middle of speaking, Adrian suddenly leaned forward and hugged Louis tightly.

"That's different!" he said hastily. "I will not be expelled from the Torresso family, nor will I choose to compromise. I am more afraid of your sudden disappearance than the rejection and doubts of outsiders. But I know... I believe you will not do this."

——They will not go to the same ending as the previous generation.

As long as Luis can live and the Torresso family can survive, Adrian feels that it doesn't matter what he does.

For this, he can do anything.

After making this clear, Adrian was finally able to bravely take the next step.He held Louis' face in his hands, closed his eyes, and kissed Louis actively.

The candle flame was still shaking, but time seemed to stand still.

"...Is this your answer?" Louis tightened his arms and whispered in Adrian's ear.

Adrian buried his face in Louis' left shoulder and nodded slightly.

"Won't you regret it?"

"No." Adrian replied.

Louis let out a meaningful sigh from the back of his throat.

Not because of helplessness and sentimentality, but a kind of relief that is almost self-salvation.

This may be another mistake, but no matter what the future holds, Louis has made his own choice and is heading towards a path he has never imagined, nor dared to imagine.

In a hugging gesture, Louis dragged Adrian onto the bed.The beds and quilts are not soft, with stubble around the edges.The injury on the shoulder is still hurting, but compared with the moment of emotion, this pain is nothing.

The young body is warm and flexible, like a newly discovered and uncultivated secret land.Louis is an explorer heading towards the secret realm, and also like a patient mentor, teaching Adrian what reasonable indulgence is and how to seek physical pleasure.

"Do you know what you look like now?" Louis whispered sensationally in Adrian's ear.

Adrian felt like he had turned into a puddle of wax, and his mind was in chaos. Not to mention comprehending what Louis meant, it took him a long time to respond: "What, what?"

"It looks like a rough stone that has just been brought into the workshop by a mason."

"...Aren't they human?" Adrian half-opened his eyes, the green eyes sparkling with water.

Louis stroked Adrian's damp black hair, and said with a smile, "I mean you are too raw, like a rough stone, and need to be carefully carved. 'Training', you can call it that."

Adrian blushed, and retorted softly: "I don't need this kind of skill that I can't use..."

"Isn't it? You can't say it too absolutely."

The bandage on Louis' shoulder was stained with sweat, and Adrian unconsciously tore it loose half a circle.Anyway, the re-dressing would have to wait a little longer, maybe before dawn—Louis was a "live in the moment" kind.

The birdsong in the winter morning is very sparse, and the dawn is late.

When Adrian opened his eyes, Louis had already opened the wooden window.The cold wind poured in through the cracks in the window, but it was still no match for the brazier filled with firewood.

The bandages on the bounty hunter's shoulders were changed again,

"What happened six years ago, it doesn't matter if I tell you now." Louis sat down beside Adrian, leaning very close. "Keep in suspense and say something like riddles, which is also a torture for you."

Adrian sat up against the head of the bed—this was his first sleepover at Louis's, in every sense of the word.

"Malenliga has no room for slave owners or slave traders, but the profits of this kind of business are so high that one is willing to take risks. Six years ago, a slave ship broke down near Silver Cove. They disguised themselves as general cargo ships, Temporarily dock at the port of Marunliga, and wait for the ship to be repaired before transporting the slaves to their destination."

Adrian tilted his head: "So, you found and stopped them?"

"It's much darker than that." Louis shook his head. "In order to guard the slaves, the ship owner secretly hired a few bounty hunters, but some slaves still escaped. In order to fill the gap, those bounty hunters did a crazy thing: they captured some young poor people without families, Force them into slave ships."

At that time, Louis was called the president, but his power had been emptied.Knowing the existence of this slave ship and the misdeeds of other bounty hunters, there is only one thing left for him to do, which is to do everything possible to expose all this, even if the criminals sent to the execution ground include his colleagues and subordinates .

Not only the captive citizens, but also the slaves on the ship were freed, but Louis paid a heavy price for this-he and his close friends still stood against the other bounty hunters in the association.

"But the matter is not over." Louis shook his head helplessly. "The high level of the association was also involved, including Chu De. I seized the ledger and employment contract from the slave trader. But because of Samuel's intervention, I did not hand over all the names and the most critical evidence to the city hall, but It is to keep a part and give it to a trustworthy friend as a bargaining chip for his own life."

Once Lewis died, the evidence he deposited elsewhere would be released to the world.

"Grandmaster."

"Ok?"

"Your belief has never changed." Adrian smiled. "That's great."

Hearing Adrian say this, Louis felt happy from the bottom of his heart after a long absence.

Author has something to say: Sea of ​​Eventualities - Marvin Kopp