In this dark and oppressive age, the ideological imprisonment from the church and the natural forces hidden in the dark corners are like a thick dark cloud pressing on the hearts of every ordinary person, it is not intangible and substantial, but everyone can feel it, and it is within reach every day - the strict curfew system is one of its manifestations.At nightfall, the streets must be emptied, and no one is allowed to linger outside except for those who are allowed to do so, which is not only a reign of terror, but in fact a kind of protection: in the dark ages, the towns at night are as dangerous as the unsheltered wilderness, you have no idea what will roam the streets, and those who dare to leave their homes at this moment often do not have the opportunity to return intact, and sometimes they are lucky enough to return, But it has been replaced from within with something even more terrifying: in the sinking Middle Ages, there were many legends about it, and a large part of it was not a legend at all.So whether it was out of fear of the whipping of the patrol cavalry or the fear of monsters in the dark, normal people would not linger in the streets after nightfall.But there are always exceptions.There are always those who are bold, either seduced by the power of heresy or coerced and seduced by witchers, who choose an extremely dangerous profession, which is to become the eyes and minions of the night.Able to evade the innate enemies of witchers or aliens as humans, and knowing the intricacies of the streets and alleys of these towns, the best of the best can even recognize the identity of everyone in the town by their backs, these people are bold enough to navigate the dangerous zone between the forces of the world and the forces of nature, providing limited loyalty to the aliens and witchers who dare not show up or need to act in secret.If the price is right or the threat is sufficient, they can even serve both at the same time – which of course leads to death, but for those who have already embarked on this path, death is only an inevitable end that can come at any time, and they no longer care about the length of life, but only the pleasure in the present.For them, the anomalies, the witchers, and even the worldly forces sandwiched between the two are both enemies and allies."
Squirrel" is the best in this line, and considers himself the smartest of the best.He never stepped too far into the side of the forces of nature—there were countless peers who couldn't resist the temptation of mystical knowledge.
Confused and losing his life, he never coveted the gifts of his master, whether the master was a devil or a witcher, for he knew that a small reward would be enough to sustain his present rich life, and a little more would be enough to kill him.The squirrel huddled in the stinking corner between the two houses, and covered himself from head to end with a tattered gray-black linen, had been in this corner for nearly an hour, and in ten minutes he would have to change places: the night watchman would pass by in a few moments, and the guys in the black and blue blouses, though often late for laziness, would never try their luck in this regard, as a cautious "minions".Once caught by the Nightwatchman, the luckiest of them are not immune to a lot of flesh and skin, and employers who hide in the dark will not jump out to help their servants for such stupid reasons.As the night fell, the cold air floated around, and the tattered linen cloth on his body did not do much to protect against the cold, and the gray squirrel carefully moved his somewhat numb hands and feet, while concentrating on the movement in the streets and alleys.He narrowed his eyes slightly, and the dark streets and alleys in his vision all took on a dark blue that seemed to glow, and the animate things occasionally passed by with red outlines.A few small red spots ran down the street, and it was the time for the rats to be seen everywhere, and this was the time for them to go on a rampage.Squirrel understands why his peers can't stand the temptation of forbidden knowledge and power.
In fact, even he himself often sinks into it: owl potions can bring incredible night vision, wild rituals can make people infinitely infinite, meerkats ointment can make people intireless and agile, all of these can easily give people the illusion of superiority over mortals, and this illusion of power is magnified by the "minions" who are themselves lowly - not everyone can resist this psychological addiction.A man and a woman appeared in the sight of the gray squirrel.He quickly gathered away his scattered thoughts, and focused his attention on the man and woman who had suddenly appeared.Years of "professionalism" reminded him that there was definitely something wrong with the man and woman walking around the corner of the street.This doesn't require overly complicated judgments, just a little thought: how many people dare to wander outside at curfew?
Except for the night watchman and the patrol cavalry, who can swagger outside, and even those who specialize in gutter business like the gray squirrel have to hide in the corners, there are many homeless people in "Trout Alley" who will wander around after dark, but it is a wild part of the city, and every one of the people who wander there can actually be directly pulled out and hung on the gallows, and there will be no decent citizens who sympathize with them.And the man and woman in the distance, dressed neatly, although they did not look like decent citizens, were certainly not beggars from Trout Alley.The fact that they swaggered down the curfew-held streets, and who were still sneaking around, was enough to be considered a major suspicion.Which guy will it be?
Is it a monster?
Or those monsters that specialize in hunting monsters?
Or is it a new trick of the Church, a spy hunting witches?
Squirrel was thinking quickly in his mind, but just as he was about to start thinking, he saw the man and woman suddenly stop.A warning suddenly rises in his mind, and years of experience "working" in this dangerous field let the gray squirrel know that he has been exposed.But he didn't have time to react at all, he had already seen the body of the woman in the long dress disappear from view in a flash, he only vaguely saw a mist of apparitions sweeping across the street, and then he was held down by an unimaginably huge force, a pair of iron pincer-like hands stuck behind his neck and right shoulder, and at the same time a cold female voice sounded: "Don't move, or tear you apart." ”But when the cold warning sounded, the gray squirrel was relieved: he was still alive, and the other party was communicating with him, which showed that he was not being targeted by the most terrible of guys, and the out-of-control blood servants and infected werewolves would not say a word of nonsense.Since he is a guy who can communicate, then he still has hope of surviving, and it's just a big deal that he will have more masters from tonight.Hao Ren looked curiously at the thin man in front of him who was instantly subdued by Lily.At first glance, he thought that the other party was a beggar that could be found everywhere in the poor areas of this era, and the man in front of him was dry and thin, like a tall hemp stalk, with a withered yellow and curly head covering his scalp, and a tattered gray-black linen cloth, which had probably never been washed since leaving the textile workshop, and emitted a sour and rotten smell that was hard to ignore—of course, it could also come from the whole street, and there were too many strange smells in this place.But soon Hao Ren realizes that the guy in front of him is definitely not a beggar: the beggar can't wear sturdy cowhide boots, the rag, and Lily has said that this guy has a "smell of potions" on him."
Whose minion are you?"
Hao Ren looked the thin man in front of him up and down, and as he spoke, he recalled in his mind the knowledge he had heard from Hasselblad about this era, "Who gave you the potion?"
”Squirrel looked trembling, as it was a good way to please the other party, whether they were monsters or hunters, and he tried to observe the appearances of Hao Ren and Lily, but he couldn't tell their race and origin.He lowered his head and grabbed the button of his coat with his hand: "Greetings to you, 'Grey Squirrel' is just a little guy who moves in the gutter, my last employer has long since left, so I'm your minion if you want......"
Sure enough, as Hasselblad said, these guys born for the times have no loyalty at all, and are cunning to the point of being stupid."
I'll give you one more chance to reorganize your language—" Hao Ren motioned for Lily to increase the strength of her hand, "Don't fool us, we can still smell the fresh potion smell from you."
Who are you currently working for?
What's in the city?
”He didn't ask "who are they", but "what are they", which is also one of the special words for dealing with such "minions".Lily's hand almost snapped Squirrel's shoulder blades, but the hand stuck in the latter's neck made him unable to scream at all, and it wasn't until the unbearable pain subsided that Squirrel was finally able to breathe again: "I......
I say......
I say......
Witches, several witches, and a male witch who had only recently gathered in the town......
Because a few days ago, there was a supposedly powerful witch who was caught, and they probably wanted to save her......
"Witch?
”Hao Ren frowned, he could have guessed that some natural creatures would definitely gather here to seek "Vivien's Treasure", but he didn't expect to pull out a captured witch, was it a real witch?
Or is it just a poor victim of a mad witch hunt?
He looked at the man in front of him who called himself "Gray Squirrel", this guy's thinness has been explained, it should be the sequelae caused by long-term use of inferior potions, and even now, this gray squirrel still has the smell of potions, he thinks that his body has the power of a person, but he doesn't know that these "abilities" are at the cost of overdrawing life and health.The existence of this guy is enough to show that the witches and wizards he mentioned are real witchcrafters, so the so-called "arrested witch" should also be real.Could the wizards gathered here have anything to do with Vivien's sleeping place?