Chapter 120: Secret fight

The competition venue was full of hustle and bustle and cheers. The players on the stage were also very excited, and they did their best to fight for the sixteen finals. However, the station of the "Ghost Wing" mercenary group in Dongcheng District was extremely dull. Apart from the uniform pace of the guards on the stone road, there was almost no other sound.
An irregular stone wall encloses the sphere of influence of the mercenary group. Inside the wall, there are scattered stone buildings and rock houses of different heights, plus a few pointed observation towers, which is quite like an ancient lord’s castle. To the north of the inner wall, there is a large cave deep underground. Numerous enclosed spaces have been opened up in the cave long ago. It is connected with a long stone platform, layered on top of each other, and it looks like a strange underground ant den.
In a stone room at the top of the cave, "Poison Head" Gao Ge was sitting on a mat made of green vines, closed his eyes and meditated, waiting for the arrival of the secret covenant. There are no windows in this secret room, but I don’t know where there is an exhaust duct, so I won’t feel stuffy after sitting for a long time. There was no furniture and furnishings in the room, and it looked very empty. Except for a summer mat and a bright spar chandelier, there were only those piles of papers and scrolls stacked randomly by the wall.
Gao Ge sat alone in a gray cloak, with no expression on his ugly face covered with scars. This solemn and solemn look was not like the vicious evil spirits in his population, but more like a hermit. He almost never arrives on time for several occasions when negotiating with others. Once the other party shows impetuousness while waiting, he will immediately appear on the stage with a sharp sound of gold and iron, which can often act as a preemptive shock.
However, today's Secret Covenant is a special existence, and he doesn't need this set... He suddenly opened his eyes with a heart move, and he heard thin footsteps coming from behind him. After another moment, a man wrapped in a black cloak The figure slowly walked into the room from the dimly lit aisle.
"Good afternoon, sir, you are still so punctual." He didn't get up or looked back. He just looked at the stone wall in front of him, pretending to be very happy and greeted him.
"I never get the time wrong, Gao Ge..." The visitor deliberately suppressed his voice, but he could still tell that he was not very old. With some caution, he lowered the edge of his hood again, took a few steps forward with his cloak, and asked in a low voice, "Two weeks have passed, how is the progress?"
"This..." Gao Ge hesitated before sighing, "Your Excellency, it is really difficult to do what you ordered...So far, only a few people are willing to join..."
The black-robed man heard that the result was not good, and seemed not surprised. He stood silently and waited for an explanation. The poisonous head naturally continued with knowledge and said: "You don’t know anything, the Yancheng People’s Congress has the habit of seeing money, saying It's ugly, that is, it is short-sighted. Although you have made a lot of promises, you have to wait for things to be fulfilled...It is really difficult to attract them with this alone..."
Hearing this, the black-robed man remained silent for a long time. He figured out the cards he could play before he patiently asked, "What are the conditions?"
Gao Ge sat cross-legged like a stone statue, staring at his iron prosthesis, shook his head and laughed a few times: "We are mercenaries, and we are born and die for only two things, money... and Sahua gems. You. If I can produce enough energy spar, I believe..."
"Needless to say." The black-robed man interrupted him without thinking, "The source of Sahua gems is becoming scarce. Everyone is trying to collect them from everywhere, how can they be used as rewards!"
"Haha..." Gao Ge pretended to smile a few times lightly, "Your Excellency is misunderstood, the spar I said is not a Sahua gemstone, but those...light energy crystals exclusively provided by the Academy of Sciences."
"...How much do you want?" The black-robed man heard that he was only asking for crystals that were specifically for mechanical energy, and his mood instantly eased.
"Of course the more the better..." Gao Ge raised his finger and flicked a few times on the iron plate on his knee. "Or more simply, you can also provide us with a few light energy converters..."
After he said a word, the room fell silent again. The black-robed man turned his head to look at the light leaking from the passageway, his finger subconsciously beat the rhythm like a second hand on the side of his leg, thinking for a whole minute, before he replied non-committal: "I must ask for advice on this matter. My lords... I'll give you an answer."
"Of course, of course, I am always waiting for your good news." The poisonous head did not say more about this matter, and said a few more scenes, he heard the black robe man cough and asked unintentionally: "Eamon J, This person...you don't know his details?"
Eamon J? Gao Ge didn't know why he had this question, and he paused for a few seconds before repliing with reservations: "This person...the origin is very mysterious, and I don't have the exact information, just..."
Seeing that he suddenly got stuck in the middle of talking, the black-robed man couldn't help asking: "But what?"
"It's just that, I often hear rumors in the market, saying that he... and the Red Lion, maybe a little unclear, blood relationship..."
The black-robed man instantly understood what he meant, and he meditated for a moment and slowly shook his head: "The Duran family is a family in the military, and has always been stubborn and conservative. I don't believe Salerno would do such a thing...not to mention that he is still If you don’t marry a wife, even if you have an extra son... you can justify it into the family, why cover it up?"
"Haha, it's all rumors, I just say it casually, you have the right to be a joke..." The poisonous head laughed indifferently, "but then again, he and the legend of the Duran family ...Still a little bit like."
Hearing this, the black-robed man moved his heart slightly, rolling his eyes for a few times without making a sound. After a while, he then asked, "What is the relationship between him and...Miss Vera?"
"Miss Vera?" The poisonous head smelled something different from his hesitant words, pretending to be inexplicably replied, "I can't say for sure, but it's true that they have a good relationship, after all, except for that one. Miss, I have never seen him take over tasks with others..."
"When did they start doing the task together?"
"Probably, it was about two years ago... I really don't remember this. If you are interested, you can send someone to the guild hall to inquire. All completed tasks are recorded and archived."
The black-robed man was very unhappy with his vague attitude, raised his voice and asked, "Is it just a task together?"
The poisonous head consciously discovered his hidden jealousy. He rolled his eyes and chuckled with a little ambiguous tone: "In addition, he has obtained the permission of the eldest lady to enter and leave the workshop at will. He is alone, There is no resident in Rock City, basically, just treat it as your own home..."
He thought that this pointed provocation was enough to make the other party angry, but he didn't expect it to be like a stone sinking into the sea. After waiting for a long time, he received a reply: "Have you tried to solicit him?"
"Of course, it's a pity..." Dutou recalled the humiliating rejection that day, but there was no resentment in his heart, only a little regret, "It's a pity that he doesn't like us."
Hearing this, the black-robed man didn't ask any more questions, raised his arm to check the time, and told him a few words to step up to buy people's hearts, then bowed his head and quickly left the secret room.
Gao Ge did not get up to say goodbye, still sitting cross-legged, staring straight at the stone wall in front of him as if thinking. It took another few minutes before he smiled, stretched out his hand and flicked his knees and whispered: "Your Excellency, you can come out."
As soon as the voice fell, the stone wall in front of him suddenly turned sideways, revealing the figure of a woman in a dark blue cloak. This woman was tall and dressed in black military boots. Her entire face was covered in her hood, only her left hand holding the long green scaled sword at her waist was exposed. The divine light in her hand was dark, and the face of the knife was almost the same.
She took small steps and slowly walked out of the inner dark room, but her eyes did not fall on the poisonous head, but stared at the dim passageway and said nothing. Until she stood where the black-robed man was standing, she smiled sarcastically, "You are so brave, even the people in the elder's courtyard dare to play?"
"Your Excellency laughed, I am in desperation, I have no choice but..." Gao Ge heard her almost neutral low voice but still didn't turn his head, looked straight ahead and smiled bitterly, "As you can see, the adults in the elder's house I have long had intentions for Yancheng. The many difficulties before this conference, I'm afraid it was their blindfold, purpose..."
He shut his mouth just right, but the mysterious woman didn't take the conversation either, still looking at the dim light, and pondering for a while before quietly asking, "What are their plans?"
"I don't know much. The elders in the elders have never looked at us directly, and now they actually think of splitting and drawing the "low people" in their eyes, they must have also learned of the encirclement and suppression operations, and plan to take advantage of it... …"
"Just rely on those waste iron pieces?" The woman made no secret of her contempt, "I'm afraid they won't even be able to get on the wall."
"The strength of our Rock City should naturally be clear to the other party, but if we dare to do this, then there must be some secrets we don't know..." The poisonous head reminded him conscientiously.
The woman stood silently for a while, suddenly released her hand that had been holding the long knife, turned her head and looked at the gray cloak with a chuckle: "To be honest, I really didn't expect you to choose our side... What conditions?"
Gao Ge felt the scorching gaze behind him, but he still didn't look back, and smiled calmly: "You don't have to be suspicious, anyway, I have worked hard since the beginning of the rock city... If the alchemy lunatics take this place. In this place, there is no place for our brothers."
When the woman heard the awe-inspiring remarks, she was not moved at all, holding her hands and shouting: "Don't talk nonsense, just speak up."
"Haha..." The poisonous head laughed a few times, then flicked his iron knee, and said every word, "My ghost wings group, I am willing to stay in the rock city as an internal response. I only hope that after the matter is completed, the admiral can call A few light energy converters for us... nothing more."
The woman frowned slightly when she heard this request. The poisonous head also mentioned the light energy converter to the black-robed man just now. Why is he so eager for this thing? He does not have any puppets to manipulate, and he is not an alchemist. Moreover, "Ghost Wings" are not a team known for their mechanical power...
Although it is strange, the light energy converter has almost no value to her, and it is a waste to use it as a reward... She has her own consideration in a blink of an eye, and replied calmly: "Ghost wings can Stay, but you...will go with me."
"Then thank you for your appreciation, I will serve myself."
The poisonous head did not hesitate to agree to be a hostage, which made the woman admire him a little bit more, but... she suddenly got cold in her eyes, suddenly jumped to go in front of Gao Ge with her right hand and collared him. One catch, lift the person up without any effort.
"He has nothing to do with the general..." The blue light in the woman's palm trembled, and several whirlwinds lifted her hood, revealing that cold and heroic face, which is indeed Salerno. The Admiral’s Chief Deputy Officer Shatya.
The female officer who changed her mercenary attire was now tensed, without showing a trace of expression, looking directly into Gao Ge’s eyes with a strong sense of oppression, and slowly said: "I don’t want to hear about your general, any slander. Sexual rumors... if, if these... just a few words about him, reach the general's ears... Your Excellency will be very disappointed with you."
After she said these words, she let go of her hand, and did not look at the other party's reaction anymore, pointed her finger and threw a whirlwind to blow up the hood and put it on again, and then walked out without anyone else.
The poisonous head was picked up by her casually, and the center of gravity fell to the ground. He had poor legs and feet, and after spending a long time supporting his arms, he finally put in his prosthetic limbs and sat cross-legged again, but the opponent had already disappeared in the passage.
He looked straight at his cast iron prosthesis, slowly stretched out his hand and wiped it back and forth a few times. A few traces of sadness flashed in his eyes, but he immediately converged. He knocked on his iron knee and whispered to no one, "Dopp, the master is already Where is it?"
A door suddenly opened from the wall beside him, and the white-haired young man in a black and white robe stepped into the room slowly, standing beside him, and whispered in reply: "Boss, just can sense the airship signal , To the east of the city, about ten kilometers."
"Well... let's go and meet them too, there are so many people in the city, and if you want him to start a fire to cause death, it will be difficult to clean up..." The poisonous head lifted his hand, and the young man helped him up. , Follow him step by step outwards.
The two of them followed the long and narrow passage all the way up, but stopped at the exit involuntarily, staring at the deep cave under their feet that seemed endless.
"Boss, are you really going to help the Red Lion deal with the Elder's House?" The young man named Dopp was puzzled and couldn't help but ask softly.
"...With internal information, Salerno is about to reach the line of...laws." After a few seconds of silence, the poisonous head whispered out the reason, "The unmanned silverfish in the elder's house can only intrigue, why Can understand the horror of having absolute power. Once he succeeds in reaching the rank of lord...unless the field of equal strength is confronted, otherwise, hum..."
"But now that's the case, why don't you take advantage of his divine power to break through at this moment, and make your move first?"
"Because we need to check and balance..." Hearing this naive question, the poisonous head sighed with disappointment, but he explained patiently, "Even if Salerno is successfully promoted to the rank of lord, it will never be in the absence of military orders. He acted rashly, but if the Elder's House is allowed to occupy Rock City, huh...Only if they continue to fight inwardly, we can get long-term benefits from it..."
"So that's it." The young man nodded if he knew it.
"Although Salerno founded Rock City by one hand, it's a pity that he is destined not to be the real king..." The poisonous head stared at the dark and dark underground abyss, muttering to himself like softly, "This city... The source of his strength, yet again, the cage he can't get rid of..."
There was a slight trance in his expression, as if thinking of distant memories, he grinned and showed a horrible but gentle smile, but suddenly turned his head and turned back into that gloomy evil spirit with a cold killing intent. .
He squinted his eyes and took out a green skeletal cane from the cloak, pressed the mechanism to stretch it to the same height as his body, leaned on the skeletal cane in silence, stepped on the sound of gold and iron, and turned his back to the cheering ocean before striding forward. Row.
When it was night again, the full moon hung high above the city, sprinkled with cold and distant light, but could not immediately cool off the passionate noise in the day.
The individual trials are over, and the taverns in the city are once again crowded with people. Some are satisfied, some are still unfulfilled, and some are depressed. In any case, the candidates for the two finals have been determined, so let the mellow ale handle the rest...
Among the alluring aromas of wine in the city, only the "Green Field" hotel is still a cold look independent of the world, completely unaffected.
In the suite on the east side of the second floor of the hotel, Yuno changed into a short white robe after bathing, and was sitting at the stone table struggling to write. Today's accidental and smooth repetition of the severed hand gave him a lot of gains. He only felt that the inspiration was rolling in, and he couldn't wait to record his experience and experience completely, and share it with all the students after returning to the college. He still had a little excitement at the moment, his blushing cheeks were writing to the sound, three knocks suddenly came from outside the door, interrupting his extremely smooth thinking.
"Who is it?" He looked up at the wall clock, still before eight o'clock, he couldn't help but wondered about the identity of the person outside the door: Jie Hai should still be cultivating with Brother Yunxuan at this time. I went back to the bookstore. Apart from him, there were only a team of guards left by my father in the entire hotel. Could anyone visit at this point?
He asked, but there was a moment of silence outside the door before the priest's voice was slightly lower than usual: "It's me."
He hurriedly got up and opened the door, only to see Yun Xuan standing in front of the door in a blue and white short robe with a pipe in his mouth. When he glanced around, he didn't see Jie Hai's figure. He couldn't help but asked in doubt, "Brother Yun Xuan, are you looking for me?"
"It's okay, I just turn around..." The priest seemed to be casual and casual, but he was really troubled.
Since remembering the old friend who had passed away today, he has been unsure. After dismissing the little apprentice hastily, he wandered around trying to relax, but he couldn't help but came to the door of Yunuo. In fact, he felt a little regret when he knocked on the door awkwardly just now, and he couldn't hide his face and sneak. Fortunately, he saw that the little doctor was not wearing glasses after opening the door, which made him feel relieved.
He walked in the door slowly, thinking about what to say, and after sitting at the stone table and glanced at the booklet, he suddenly had a topic: "Is writing notes?"
"Well, I want to write down the entire process of the severed hand treatment, so that it can be used as a lesson plan when I go back." Yuno sat back in his place again, examining word by word what he had written after his inspiration broke out.
Yun Xuan then remembered that the young man with a weak crown before him still had the title of professor in the Therapist Academy. Seeing his concentration in correcting the transcript, his heart moved slightly, and he pretended to ask unintentionally: "Why are you suddenly wearing glasses today? Now? I'm still... I'm not used to it."
"Hey, do you think how old I am suddenly? I used to wear it in the academy. I should be like a teacher in class." The little doctor smiled softly, but did not leave the notes. "But these few God, I always feel that I will be more awake when I put on my glasses, probably because of psychological factors..."
"Really..." The priest muffled a few puffs, deliberately trying to talk about Ian, but felt unable to speak. He knew that the young man had always kept secret about his brother's death, not to mention that he hadn't ascertained the cause of the old incident, so he rashly mentioned it at this moment for fear that it would only add to his sadness.
After sitting for a long time, he couldn't hold back any other words. He was a little embarrassed. He was about to find a way to leave. When the door was pushed from outside, Jie Hai, a little student in a gray cloak, slowly appeared from the dark corridor. Out of shape.
"It's Jiehai..." Yun Xuan found an excuse when the little apprentice came back, and stood up and smiled, "Then I won't bother you anymore. There will be a game tomorrow, so please rest soon." He said. No matter how Yuno reacted, he strode out of the living room.
Jie Hai bowed his head and let the door open. He watched the teacher disappear in the corridor, and a concerned question from the little doctor sounded behind him: "Is the practice going well today? I didn't see you just now. I thought you were more accurate. It will take a while to come back."
"...Also, it's okay." He paused for a while, then turned his head stiffly, and pulled out an ugly smile, "I...a little tired, take a break..."
Yuno felt that his voice was very hoarse, like a state after screaming hard for a long time. It was a bit strange, but Jie Hai had already walked quickly by the stone table with his head down, and hid in his room in a blink of an eye.
This master and apprentice are weird today... He heard the crisp sound of closing the door, and suddenly he had an inexplicable sense of weirdness. He glanced at the ground inadvertently and found that the footprints left by Jiehai were all wet. There was also some fine sand, and I did not know where it came from.
Isn't this guy sneaking out to play by himself? He looked suspicious, stared at the door of Jiehai's room, and sighed for a long time. It’s good to just play and relax... he thought of the small shop assistants being depressed to the bottom these days, and couldn’t help but feel sad again. Looking at the notes on the table, he immediately realized that the idea of ​​inspiration had long been broken. , It was difficult to continue for a while.
Yuno sat at the stone table in a daze for a while, jumped up and rushed into the room. When he came back, his face was cold, just like the full moon outside the window. After slowly sitting down, he habitually helped his glasses, and stared at the book for a moment, as if he had practiced thousands of times, he continued to compile the lesson plans and tutorials he had personally experienced.