Atlas Battle Song

Trand chased after him.His legs were long and fit, and he grabbed the fast-running boy in two strokes.

"stop!"

"!!!"

The boy turned his head suddenly, and it turned out that he was an acquaintance. It was the boy who led Trand and Egg outside the city——Fox Boy.The boy looked terrified, but when he found out that it was Trand, he was relieved.

"Ah, it's you, master. I wanted to say hello to you before leaving, but Alan left the hotel early. I also plan to do some work first and come back to you later."

"Your friend Alan, does he live in an orphanage?"

"Yes, he started living there about half a year ago. Is it a religious group, it seems to be called 'Ocean Star'? I don't know, but they still do a lot of good things and help children without homes and single mothers."

"Hmph..." Trander crossed his arms, and he noticed a bundle in the fox boy's arms, "What is this?"

He reached out to touch it, and the fox boy tried to avoid it in a panic, but Trander had quick eyesight and quick hands——

It's a few long knives.

What does a kid need so many knives for?

Before Trander could ask, the young fox backed away in a panic, "No, it's just that the employer asked me to deliver some goods, and I will also help people deliver things as a handyman."

So suspicious.

"That's it, come on!" Trander pretended to be full of energy and waved his hands, and said goodbye to the child with a smile: "Come and play with me anytime ~ goodbye~"

The fox boy nodded his thanks repeatedly, and ran away with the mysterious package in his arms.

"Children, adults are very dangerous."

Trand lit a short cigarette, took two puffs, and then quietly followed with the cigarette in his mouth.

The boy ran all the way into the depths of the slum, and Trand followed quietly like a lion in ambush.

After a while, they came to a dilapidated old house.

To be precise, this area is surrounded by such dilapidated houses, with no doors and almost no complete walls, and there are scorched and broken walls everywhere.

"It seems that the poor people's houses in this area were caught in a fire, and they had no money to repair them, so they all moved out." Trander thought to himself.

The stench of rubbish everywhere, not even the poorest tramp would want to find a roof to spend the night here, and the patrolman would not come to this kind of place.

But there are many footprints on the mud.

"There are quite a few people... What are you doing in this place with swords?"

Trand had already guessed.

The boy disappeared into a shabby house, and Trand, after lighting out his short cigarette, followed.

He looked around. Although there were no footprints on the ground, there were traces of being wiped. Someone deliberately concealed their whereabouts.Half of the dilapidated house was open-air, and the debris from the collapsed ceiling was piled on the ground, revealing a hollow half the height of a person.Trand walked over to take pictures, and found that the hole was actually supported by low wooden piles. Someone remodeled the ruins to ensure that it could still be used.

Trand sniffed vigorously with his insensitive nose... he couldn't smell the boy at all, only the smell of burnt wood and garbage.

"Hey, my sense of smell really can't compare to Egg Leopard." Trander scratched his head, bent down and got into the short hole.

Take two steps forward...

Sure enough, there was a basement, and the entrance was open.Trand licked his finger and placed it at the entrance of the basement. He felt the wind flow from it.

There must be another exit from this basement.

There must be someone secretly gathering here.Trand decided to check it out.

The surroundings were damp and dark, but the space was unexpectedly large, at least this corridor allowed him to walk for a while.At the end of the corridor, there is a wooden door, the firelight shines through the crack of the door, and there are noisy voices behind the door.

"really."

Trand pressed his ear to the door, and heard the chaotic voices inside. People were arguing fiercely and in low voices, and it sounded like there were both men and women.

He glanced at the locked door, it was the kind of bolt that was simply hung from the inside.Trander smiled, took out a thin iron piece from the key chain at his waist, inserted it into the crack of the door and pushed it up, and the door bolt was simply opened.

He paused for a moment.

The people inside didn't seem to notice the situation by the door and continued to argue.

Trander took the opportunity to gently push open the crack of the door and look in... This basement is really not small, there are at least 30 to [-] people gathered in it, as well as the elderly and children.Several leading men stood in the middle of the crowd, arguing fiercely.Moreover, the young fox was not there, he might have left through the other door after transporting the sword, which was better so that no one would recognize him.

If so, you should be able to get in.

Taking advantage of the crowd's attention elsewhere, Trand walked in as if nothing had happened, and then hung the door latch.He blended in with the crowd, pretending that he too was at the rally.

"No one left to guard the door... I'm afraid they are not professional thieves." Trander thought to himself.

A short man said emotionally: "How long are we going to endure! We have enough weapons now, or how long are we going to endure!"

"It's not the time yet," said the old man opposite.

"Isn't it the time? Then what is the time? Two little girls from my brother's family are sick and can't even drink a sip of clean water! They can only drink stinky water...but the doctor said that the dirty water will only make it worse Sick, not allowed to drink... The poor child has not drank water for 2 days!"

"In fact, there is no shortage of water at all!"

"Exactly! There is a well, and there is water from the oasis... but we are not allowed to drink it!"

"Dart that bastard... deceived everyone..."

"That's it!"

The gathering was full of indignation, cursing a certain name, and telling each other about the plight of no water.

"We can't wait, if we want to drink clean water, we must defeat Dalt!"

"Down with Dart!"

"But he has a lot of soldiers... and the governor to support him... Do we have enough weapons?"

"Speaking like this even now! If we don't resist, we will die of thirst!"

A mother holds a baby and cries.

Are they planning riots for water...Trand thought.

Indeed, as an oasis city, Calder does not lack water. There are wells, rivers flowing down from the Bald Mountains, and plateau lakes.But the rulers of the cities control various important resources, including water.

The Golden City is divided into five regions, each region's administrative matters are managed by a family, and the five families are directly under the governor's jurisdiction.There are many gray areas, such as drinking water and commerce. If the governor turns a blind eye, the will of the manager's family can even override the law.

This place belongs to the Walan District in the west of the city, and the slums are mainly concentrated here.But on the contrary, this area is also close to the sea commercial channel to the west, and there is an endless stream of business travelers from various countries.

Trand guessed that the administrators of the Valencia District probably forbade the people in the slums to fetch water from the springs beside the river... After all, many high-end hotels and shops are built along the river, and they are mainly facing the rich south merchant.It seems that the new administrator is a shameless thing.And the people gathered here to plan riots, they just want to drink clean water, why are they forced to this point...

"Brother Trande, what are you doing here..."

Fox Boy saw him in the crowd.

Hey, always so unlucky.

Trander sighed distressedly, he thought the boy left after delivering the things...how could he know that the boy was just short and was blocked by someone so he couldn't see it.

The crowd looked at Trand in horror.

"stranger!"

"Who is he! Is it Dalt's spy—! Get him, get him!"

"He will betray us!"

The crowd was in a commotion, and several strong men rushed up and grabbed his arm.Trander decided to negotiate with them first, and there was no resistance.

"Say, who are you!"

The knife rested on Trand's neck.

Trander made a gentle smile that was harmless to humans and animals, and raised his hands in surrender: "I am Trander Muawia, that boy knows me." He was just about to lie and say that he was a small businessman, but the boy excitedly preempted He said: "Mr. Trande is a mercenary, he saved Alan and me!"

"mercenary!!!"

"Who sent you here...! Was it that liar Dalt!"

The crowd exploded, more hands gripping Trand's arm, the knife on his neck.Obviously, they are all ordinary people, and their hands tremble uncontrollably when holding a knife.The knives would soon be his if he wanted to.But he still wants to discuss with these people.

"That's right, I'm a mercenary..." Trander's mind was spinning fast, thinking about how to tell a reasonable lie, "but actually..."

At this time, a familiar voice appeared.

"Little Trande...? Is that you? Snake charmer...?"

It was a woman of some age who spoke.She was well-dressed, with still a touch of charm, and she stood out among the slum-dwellers.

"Sister Ayimei...?"

Trand recognized her instantly.When Trand was a child working in a brothel in the Golden City, he was often taken care of by sisters who were prostitutes.And the woman standing in front of him now was Trand's older sister at that time——Ayimei.

The two people who reunited were shocked at first, and then a kind of sad joy welled up in their hearts.They used to be like brothers and sisters. After all, in the world of power and money, girls and little boys at the bottom can only depend on each other.

"My God...you're still alive...Trander!" The woman hugged him tightly, wiping away her tears, "You look so young...you're only in your twenties...and I'm almost an old lady gone."

"Sister, I miss you very much."

Trander also clenched his throat, unable to speak.

"Ma'am, do you know him?"

A burly old man with gray hair came over, took Mrs. Aimee's hand, and looked up and down at Trand with resolute eyes.It can be seen that the old man was probably a coachman or a porter before.

"Oh yes, yes! My dears, I'll introduce you to... this lad is Trande Muawia, he's been living with us since he was a kid, and he's always helped us get rid of nasty things at a young age Guest. Trund is a good boy with integrity and we all love him... Decades gone!"

"Decades?"

The old man frowned: "Then why does he look so young..."

"I'm half Sybyl," said Trand.

"Longevity species... no wonder, it won't age."

"vampire!"

When they heard that Trande was from a Sibyl, the people nearby distanced themselves from him in horror.This reaction was a little funny, but Trander didn't blame them.Most people in the western plateau are afraid of the Sibyls, and they always feel that the rulers are monsters who drink blood for a living.So in their view, it has always been a terrible thing for the western plateau to submit to the empire ruled by monsters.Mrs. Aimee used to be a courtesan and met many Sibyl nobles.She reassured everyone patiently: "Don't be afraid, Sibyls are not monsters..."

"Yes, I like to eat children occasionally."

Trander smirked and pinched the fox boy's face, which made the child turn pale with fright.

"Stinky boy! You still deserve a beating!" Madam Ayime patted Trand's head with a smile, "I haven't finished talking yet, why are you here?"

Trander became serious: "I left the golden city of Calder back then and went to the south to become a mercenary. Now I am the head of a mercenary regiment. I came back this time because I happened to meet Io on the way. Sister Er, she told me about the situation on your side and that you need help..."

"Have you met Ior?"

"Yes, she said that you have been bullied by this bully Da...Da what the hell. As soon as I heard how it was going to work, I brought my brothers to the Golden City. I will take care of this, and I must teach that dog a lesson .” Although Trander was lying, the more he spoke, the more angry he became, and he did intend to intervene in a vote.

"You mercenaries will come to help us...?"

"Of course. After all, I have lived here. Without the care of sister Ayimei, I might have starved to death. Your business is my business."

Trander put his hands on his hips and nodded firmly.

The paupers at the party hesitated.The strong old man stood up and told Trand the ins and outs of the matter.

The manager of the Valan District where they live has always been the Dalt family.Three years ago, the new head of the family, Endu Dalt, took over and became the new manager.Nicknamed "Wild Boar", this person is very vicious in his actions and very rough in his thinking.

There are many poor people in Valan District, and the tax revenue can only be relied on large taverns and shops. "Wild Boar" Dart wanted to increase the tax revenue of the district to please the governor, so he built more taverns or brothels for travelers and traders by the water source.Sure enough, as Trand expected, "Wild Boar" Dart forbade the poor to go to the springs to get water, and even several clean public wells were occupied.The poor have no choice. Even if they go to fetch water from wells in other districts, they will be stopped by the managers of the district, so they can only go to the muddy ponds outside the city to fetch water.

This continued for two years, but the children began to get sick from drinking the unclean water, and the sick and the elderly became weaker.Coupled with poor sanitary conditions, the epidemic gradually spread.

The poor couldn't bear it anymore, and decided to protest to Dart the "wild boar" and take back the spring water by force.

"It turned out to be like this... What a beast, you must be taught a lesson."

Trand couldn't help sighing.

The leading young man also picked up his scimitar with righteous indignation: "Dalt usually sends soldiers to stand guard by the spring. We decided to act tonight to take back the water source."

"It sounds like there's going to be bloodshed."

"It is impossible to regain the water source without fighting! Let that bastard know that we are not to be bullied casually!"

"That's right, and we have weapons, as well as other support." The fox boy lifted a piece of cloth, and there were indeed a lot of swords, hoes and sickles, but they were still too weak compared to the equipment of the guards.

Trand shook his head.

"No, you are going to die if you go up like this. Listen to me, everyone, in fact, I..."

Before he finished speaking, Trander heard the footsteps of soldiers outside the door, and the sound of tinkling armor and swords.

"Oops, patrolman!"

The men took up their weapons one after another, protecting the old man and the woman behind them.

Trand stopped them: "Wait, you will be killed if you do it here. Does this basement have a back door? Everyone escape through the back door, and I will solve it."

"But……"

Mrs. Aimee was very worried and grabbed Trand's wrist.Trand smiled, bowed gracefully and kissed the back of the lady's hand.

"I'll do it. It's ridiculous. Water should belong to everyone."

Trande puffed out his chest solemnly, like a lion in full bloom.The demeanor and perseverance were convincing, the crowd nodded in gratitude, and retreated to the back door.

Although this secret meeting place is not well-disguised, it is not easy to find, not to mention that the patrols basically don't come to this area... Why was it discovered at this time?

Filled with doubts, Trand opened the wooden door and walked into the dark and narrow corridor.According to his instructions, the fox boy behind the door locked the latch to buy more time for the retreating people.

"Who is there!"

There were torches in the corridor, and about four or five patrol soldiers held scimitars and carefully groped the ground with their feet, for fear that there would be a deadly trap in the darkness.

"I."

He crossed his hips and stood there proudly.

The torches were waving, the machetes were beating on the shields, and the soldiers shouted: "Don't move! Someone has reported that there are criminals gathering here in secret."

Oh, sure enough there is an informer.Trand sneered.

"Don't be nervous, put your knives down, I'm Trand Muawia, Governor of the Western Plateau."

"Oh my god, the Governor-General!"

The leading soldier stopped, bowed to Trand in trepidation, and then burst out laughing.The other soldiers laughed too.

"Hahaha, if you are the governor, I will still be the emperor of Sibyl!"

"Boss, the emperor is a woman." The soldier beside him reminded in a low voice.

"Oh," the leading soldier sneered, "then I am the emperor's husband. I say something, but she dare not say anything!"

"Hahahahahaha."

Trande shook his head in distress: "No, you won't think about it... After all, Turna is a real tough guy, she can beat five of you with one fist. Many girls in the imperial capital love her, and she has a bunch of mistresses. I'm sorry Your Majesty, You didn't hear."

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Yeah, how can I delay time with you if I don't talk nonsense?" Trander smiled heartily, "Anyway, you don't believe that I am the governor, so it's useless."

There were no footsteps behind the door, and Trand shook his ears. It seemed that people had already run away.

"You bastard, then I'll arrest you and torture you! Peel off your nails, you should confess!"

Soldiers rushed forward brandishing machetes.

The passage was narrow, and only one person could pass through at a time, so Trand easily knocked out one person with a punch, and walked out of the basement along the stairs.

The fainted soldiers lay on the ground and groaned.

"If you don't believe me, I will be accused of abusing my subordinates again." Trander sighed.

"Hey, hey!"

There was even a soldier standing outside, who looked like a half-grown boy.As soon as Trent wanted to greet him, the kid ran away with oil on his feet.

"Don't run away...I'm afraid you're not a trainee soldier...Young man, you will be punished if you go back like this."

Trand shrugged.

The sun is setting, and he has no time to stay here. He has to go back to the lord Antuo, and the banquet at the governor's mansion will be held in the evening...

"Can not be done."

Just as he was about to leave, Trand suddenly thought: These protesters plan to act tonight to force the manager to hand over the water source.But obviously, there is an insider among them, and the news of the riot may have already been known.

In this way...they must be ambushing and waiting for them again.

These protesters are poor, untrained, and their weapons are not good... If the other party is ruthless, they will probably kill them in the name of "suppressing riots".

Trand frowned.

"No, we can't let them be bullied, and send them to death for nothing..."

So, he thought of a way.

After arranging everything, Trand walked back.

An Tuo should have been impatient to wait.The assassination of the governor was such a big deal, yet Trand, the "assassin", hadn't come back yet.

"Ah, what happened to Egg..."

As he walked, Trand was shocked again.

He saw a wanted notice posted on the wall at the corner of the street.

Trander was dumbfounded, looking left and right.The handsome face of the wanted criminal in the portrait, the simple and easy-to-remember name... There is no doubt that it is him.

It must have been reported by the fleeing soldier!

"Wanted: Trand Muawia, reward 100 gold coins"

"Day!"

Trand covered his face in despair.

On his first day as the new governor, he actually became famous all over the city for two things... crazy pranks, and a wanted criminal.

What can I do?After all, unlucky things will always find Trander on his own initiative.It's almost some kind of talent.

****

In Lord Yaxu's mansion, everything is ready.

"Tonight will be recorded in the annals of West Plateau history."

Lord An Tuo put on a mask.

Two maidservants are helping him to change his clothes obediently, putting on the fine attire for an audience, tying a heavy golden antelope belt, putting on a pointed hat with gold leaf waffles hanging from the ears on his head, and dripping balsam on his beard. Floral perfume.

"Master Antuo, that mercenary is back, but..." the captain of the guard reported in a low voice.

"Oh, let Trand come over."

A puppet lion came over.

"?"

"Hey, it's me."

The puppet lion took off his headgear. It turned out that Trand was wearing a comedian's suit, and he didn't know where he got it.

"You... plan to wear this to assassinate the governor...?"

An Tuo was wearing a mask, but his contemptuous tone couldn't be more obvious.

"Of course not!" Trander wiped his sweat, "I'm a wanted criminal, so you should be more careful when you go out on the street."

"Are you a wanted criminal?"

"Exactly."

In fact, he was elected just today, and he is still enthusiastic...Trander secretly groaned in his heart.He changed the subject and lied, "Hey, if I hadn't been wanted and couldn't get along, I wouldn't want to take on the dirty job of assassinating imperial officials. It's very hot."

An Tuo seemed to be quite satisfied with this, and nodded: "You can rest assured... I will arrange you to a safe place after finishing tonight's work."

At this time, the maid brought up a set of light gauze dresses, peacock blue with gold thread, which looked like dancer's clothes.Brass bracelets and anklets jingled.

Trander liked it very much, picked up the soft blue-green gauze, and said with a smile: "You have good taste in women... I also like this kind of hot ones, you have to have big breasts and thin waist to hold it up .”

Lifting the masked face, he looked at Trand, who was happily thinking about the charming dancer.An Tuo smiled:

"No, that's what you're going to wear tonight."

"what???"

The emerald green pupils were wide open, and Trand even jumped, as if a lion suddenly flew up when he turned his head and was startled by a cucumber lying behind him.

"Tonight, you pretended to be a dancer and followed me to the banquet, and took the opportunity to kill that man."

"Do not--!"

another place.

"Hey, so good? Will you give me money if you catch this silly lion?"

Yi Ge pulled down the arrest warrant and happily walked towards the governor's mansion.