The City of Marronligar

Living in the side tower of Yinwan Tower, even if you put your head into the square windows, the sky, land and sea you can see are very small, so small that you can only rely on memory and imagination to make up for the missing parts of the entire picture.

When I first entered the tower, Marunliga was getting its first snow of the year—perhaps its last as a "Marunliga".Afterwards, it will be given a new name by the Kurmans or other peoples in other languages. At that time, does the spring, summer, autumn and winter on this land "belong" to Marenliga?

——Miscellaneous Notes of the Silver Bay Tower: The Four Seasons of Malunliga

The pouring rain soaked Louis' prison uniform, and the rough cloth stuck to him, no different from the heavy shackles that had restricted his movement earlier.

But he has never felt so free and easy like today, even the heavy rain seems to be marching for him, and the bursts of thunder hitting the eardrums are the drums of farewell.

Louis knew what "leaving Marenliga" meant to him: while seeking a chance of life, he completely lost his home, lost the relatives left in the grave, lost friends and loved ones, lost His only foothold.

Measured in this way, he can't judge whether he has lost or gained more.

But at the moment of stepping out of the border of this land, all sentimentality and hesitation lose their meaning.

Under the wooden shed, the well-behaved steed was grazing.Seeing the new owner who had never met approaching, it moved its furry pointed ears, its hooves lightly rubbed against the grass, and a warm breath came out from its nose.

"Little guy, we will have to depend on each other from now on."

Louis stroked the horse's mane gently as a gesture of mutual affection.He opened the luggage that Adrian had prepared in advance, tore off the old prison uniform, and put on a set of clothes that were not brand new but neat.

Then, squinting his eyes, he looked up at the sky against the fading rain.The mountain-like continuous dark clouds are connected to the earth through the rain curtain. The collapsed rain clouds hit the city and the wilderness, part of it flows to the ocean, and part of it turns into steaming water vapor, flowing in the hourglass of time and space.

No matter how hard it rains, there is always a sunny day.

So, will the people who parted with the intention of farewell also usher in a moment of reunion?

Louis held in his palm the necklace Adrian had left him.The sharp metal snake tail brought bursts of stinging pain, and even the stinging pain of his flesh made him feel nostalgic.

Henceforth, this is Louis's most important property and his last concern for Maren Liga.

The rain will not stop for a while, but one cannot always wait for the rain to stop.

He got on the horse's back, and spoke softly to comfort the poor mount, which was sheltering alone from the rain on the outskirts of the city.Before setting off, Louis said to both it and himself: "Our story in Marenliga is over. As for where to go from now on... let this gust of wind decide."

A torrential rain, an explosion and a robbery brought brief chaos to the city.But within a few days, when the gallows on the square was removed, everything returned to its former tranquility.

Louis Cormac, who was supposed to be executed publicly, took advantage of the chaos and disappeared from Marenliga completely.He left nothing behind except the ransacked house and all kinds of rumors.

The bombing of the warehouse in the harbor area is equally bizarre.Guards quickly arrested the warehouse keeper who mistakenly put saltpeter and charcoal together, but the keeper insisted that he never touched any saltpeter.The burning warehouse was surprisingly empty, and the fire was quickly extinguished by the torrential rain. The explosion did not cause much damage.

Resisting the pressure from the city hall and the governor's family, General Lucien ended the tedious city-wide search ahead of schedule, and turned to interrogating the Kurmans brought back from Shacheng with great fanfare.

The guards escorted back from Shacheng not only a few Kurmans, but also a shipment of food that hadn't had time to be transported to the north.According to the report of the sergeant investigating in Shacheng, the Kurmans originally planned to divide the supplies into three ships, but what they intercepted was only a part of the whole cargo, and in the end only a few people in charge of the last ship were captured.

The captured Kurmans did not know whether they were tight-lipped, or they really knew nothing about the attack on the pier.They admitted to transporting supplies from Marenliga for the northerners, but said nothing about other bloodshed, let alone any names connected to the case.

The general's adjutant was impatient, and directly escorted the prisoners to the warehouse where the evidence was stored, and forced them to identify the weapons used in the attack, which made their faces change three points.If his subordinates hadn't stopped him, the adjutant might have dug out the dead Kullmans from the mass graves.

Lucien flipped through the confession sent from the prison, and snorted coldly: "I really don't know whether their behavior is considered 'spine', 'moral' or 'stupid'."

People in the City Hall and the Governor's Palace were still urging him to hunt Louis, but now he was more concerned about who was trying to get rid of him and who was hollowing out the city.

"Find a few more people who understand Kullman's language, and continue to interrogate them until they tell the truth."

The wind after the rain rolls up the steaming water vapor on the ground and rushes to every pedestrian on the road. The earthy smell turned up by the rain also rides on this wind and spreads in every corner of Marenliga.

Not long after the closure of the city, Adrian met Cynthia at the garrison camp on the pretext of being invited by General Lucien to go to the prison to identify Kuhlman's attacker.The injured female guard sat by the bed, not surprised by Adrian's visit.

Because of the injuries on her body, Cynthia hadn't participated in the training and patrols these days, and she was the only one in the room.

Adrian sat down opposite Cynthia, and nodded sincerely and cryptically, "Thank you for helping me."

Without her secret help, Adrian would not be able to get the guard's outfit, and his plan to escape from the execution ground would not go smoothly.

He looked at the bandages on Cynthia's body, and his eyes were full of shame—although he deliberately controlled the strength of his hands, these injuries were caused by him after all.

Cynthia didn't care, she waved her hand casually, and said, "If you don't hang up, I'll let you go. First, you won't be able to do business with your superiors, and second, you will be suspected."

She asked again with concern: "Do you know who framed Master Cormac?"

Adrian didn't answer.

——That's what I know.

Cynthia nodded knowingly: "What are you going to do? I suggest that you report it to General Lucien immediately, so that you can obtain evidence in time, seek justice for Master Cormac, and maybe allow him to return to Marenliga in a fair manner. .”

"...Master, he won't come back again." Adrian looked gloomy. "Also, I don't want him back."

Cynthia was taken aback for a moment, but soon understood Adrian's intentions, and she couldn't help but feel a little disappointed: "Is that so..."

No matter how many crimes are hidden under the beautiful appearance of Maren Liga, just like General Lucien will always remain loyal to this city, it is also her mission engraved in her blood to stick to this land until she dies.

But for Louis, Maren Riga is no longer that warm home, which makes Cynthia feel sad besides conflicts.

Then, Adrian's tone changed abruptly, bringing with it a ferocity that most people have never seen in him: "As for the person who framed the master, I will bring him pain commensurate with his crime."

He quickly cleared up his mood, showing a slightly apologetic wry smile: "I have to go, and some friends need to thank them in person."

Liz from the Silver Bay Tower, Seamus who came out to buy horses for Adrian, Sadhu, the trainee priest of the temple, the Black Tooth Gang... Adrian met them because of Louis, and borrowed their strength at the most critical moment , saved a man who had to be saved.

"For him, you are mobilizing people." Cynthia laughed.

"He's worth it," Adrian said firmly.

Walking on the bustling streets of Marenliga, although people still occasionally mention the weird cold wave, discuss the impact of the catastrophe on their own livelihoods, and then lead the topic to various bizarre events after the cold wave, but everything is still back on track after all. It was as if all the changes never happened.

If we use a natural phenomenon as an analogy, it is probably like new grass covering the scorched earth burned by wildfire, and hiding the scars under its soft body.

"Thank you? Thank you for what? It's just a favor." Liz, pretending to be old-fashioned, held a stack of books, and firmly refused to accept the thank you gift from Adrian. "I thought it would be so difficult. It's just a matter of fiddling with the carriage and fooling a few guards. I was skeptical about this execution—they didn't follow the codes and old rules of Marenliga at all!"

Probably still feeling guilty for cheating the guards, facing Adrian's thanks, Shadu kept looking shy, and tried to talk about the return of Judge Sauron.

Seamus was still the same as usual, staying in a tavern in the harbor area where you could see the pier at a glance, sitting in a corner drinking wine sullenly, not knowing whether he was sad for the innocent trial of the filthy man, the departure of his friend, or for Ma Disappointed by Lunliga's fall.

Adrian didn't bother him, but went straight to the counter to pay off the wine owed by Seamus.

Deep in the remote and rough alleyways of the harbor area, the boy of the Black Tooth Gang still sat cross-legged on the balcony, watching for his boss.The homemade captain's cap is missing a feather and adding a fancy patch.

Glenn, the leader of the Black Tooth Gang, hung an empty sleeve and looked solemn, as if he wanted to find the shadow of Louis from Adrian: "No matter how those nobles who sucked the bone and marrow arranged the affairs of the Governor's Palace, we have always admired that man. It was an honor to help him regain his freedom."

Adrian still felt bad about it.

Although he entrusted the Black Fang Gang to "create a little chaos" to distract the guards around the execution ground and the bounty hunters under Chu De's command, Adrian himself did not expect that the gang members would choose such an extremely shocking method.

"Is the fight in the warehouse of the exchange that day too big? I'm worried that it will hurt you."

"It's nothing, they can't find out about us." Glenn seemed indifferent. "But it's strange to say that, apart from a pile of low-quality cloth that was confiscated before, there was no decent goods in the warehouse. In addition to the heavy rain, we didn't burn much at all."

Glenn's inadvertent words caught Adrian's attention.He opened his eyes wide in surprise, and asked, "How could the warehouse be empty?"

Glenn was questioned: "We don't know too well... People come in and out of the exchange every day. Even if it was evacuated before, it is difficult for outsiders to directly see."

The stock exchange in the seaport area has been serving the long-distance merchant ships coming to Silver Bay, and some public goods of the city-state are also stored in the warehouse for emergencies.But even if the cargo ship took away all the goods kept here when the cargo ship left, it would not even leave Ma Lunliga's own things behind.

Adrian thought for a while, feeling as if he had found some important clues.

After spending half a day walking around Marunliga, Adrian returned to the Flying Lion Mansion, ready to bid farewell to another person whom he had thanked countless times.

Chloe followed the beacon to Marunliga, and just spent a few days here before it was time to return to Heshan Manor.What makes her more regretful than the short tour is not that she failed to witness the legendary lively spring night carnival, nor the torrential rain that destroyed the beautiful scenery of this place, but the difficult things that blocked the Torresso family.

The destruction of the ancient temple, the pressure of the patriarch's uncle, the strange case that happened in Marenlica, and Adrian's cherished person who was sent to the execution ground, all these made Chloe have no time to enjoy the Logmar expedition Rest time afterwards.

In order to pretend to be Adrian and appear on the "Noble Viewing Stand" where he was publicly executed, she cut her hair short, and with Sophia's help, she slightly modified the details of her face, and then changed into the corresponding costumes. Adrian himself can look like a nine out of ten.

People here don't know that Adrian has a twin sister who looks similar to him. As long as Chloe doesn't open her mouth, she will basically be fooled by her disguised appearance, and Chu De is also caught by this.

Everything is the same as when I was a child.Even though we have different souls, we are still each other's mirrors-this idea inspires Chloe, and keeps her depressed from following Adrian's depressed mood.

Compared with her younger brother, Chloe's personality is inherently more outgoing, with a kind of open-mindedness who is good at judging the situation.She didn't know Louis Cormac, and it wasn't until the day of the execution that she saw the man's desolate appearance from a distance from the stands.

But she felt that since Adrian, who had always been respectful and cautious, could burst out with such intense emotions, this man must be of inestimable value to him.

And when Adrian successfully sent Louis away, took advantage of the chaos in the city, and quietly returned to the mansion, seeing him show a little bit of reluctance but relieved, Chloe believed that the little help he provided was meaningful of.

Now, it's time for her to do her own thing.

In order to avoid disputes with the elders of the family, Samuel and his party did not return to the Heshan Manor after leaving the Logmar area, but went directly to Marenliga.

But avoiding it all the time is not an option, and Chloe also has the task of reporting the results of the expedition to the manor.She didn't have time to refer to Adrian's "Tour Suggestions" to fully appreciate the style of Maren Liga. She only had a few days of simple repairs at the Flying Lion Mansion before embarking on her return journey.

In order to avoid the suspicion of others (especially Chu De) due to the similar appearance to Adrian, in addition to changing into complicated skirts, Chloe also temporarily learned some fashionable gorgeous makeup, which at first glance looks like a close relative of Sophia , On the contrary, it doesn't look like Adrian's younger brother.

Adrian sends Chloe all the way out of town.He held her hand, and the two pairs of eyes were indeed carved out of the same mold, but they reflected different brilliance.

"Chloe, thank you very much."

"How many times have you thanked me in the past few days? My ears are getting callused."

"I am serious."

"It's true that my ears are callused."

The two smiled at each other.

Chloe brushed a strand of hair behind her ear: "When I was changing clothes that day, I kept thinking about our childhood. Who would have thought that I could still use this trick to deceive people now. Ah, it's not a lie, it's Save someone. Adrian, the person you want to save will thank you."

Adrian shook his head and said softly, "It's not his thanks I want."

Chloe looked at Adrian tenderly, remembering his missing snake-shaped pendant, and smiled slyly: "Even if it is used as a token, don't give away our family totem casually! Although you can change it for a new one at any time , but if the elders ask, it’s not easy to answer.”

Adrian looked away in embarrassment.

But as soon as she thought of something really serious, Chloe's spring-like smile stopped abruptly: "Uncle Samuel will return to Heshan Manor in a few days, but we don't know how those elders will deal with him yet."

This is also one of Adrian's biggest worries.But he can only believe so firmly: "Uncle will definitely be able to handle these things well."

The coachman urged her several times before Chloe reluctantly got into the carriage, but still did not put down the curtain.

"Choose spring next time, there are fireworks here that Heshan Manor can't see." Adrian waved goodbye to her.

Chloe smiled and said, "I made a note."

The author has something to say: Drown-Milet

Semi-transitional chapter