Blood tax

Chapter 79 Memories of Neopolis will bring you back here

There were three local passengers from Hepu Town on the carriage. They had neat black hair and decent clothes. Their skin was not as white as the elves in the northern forest, nor as dark as the residents of the southern provinces, giving a very comfortable look. .The passengers stepped out of the car deftly, and politely nodded their hats to Griffith, who was waiting for the bus.

A sense of intimacy that was spontaneous, irrepressible, and inexplicable spread immediately in Griffith's mind.Suddenly, he realized that his destination was to visit the places where these people lived, which was a very natural and very pleasant thing.

"Yo, the little brother who is a soldier, went to Hepu?" The coachman stuck his head out of his seat, "Is he visiting relatives? Come up."

Griffith nodded and handed over a few centimes as fare.

"When you leave your hometown when you are young, the memories of life on Neopolis will bring you back here," the coachman waited for a while, and then waved the reins when no other guests got on the bus. "It's a good time for you to come back, no Too hot and not as cold as the north. Fresh fish, young girls, the best time of year."

Why put fresh fish and shrimp together with young girls?Griffith frowned, not satisfied with the frivolous words of the coachman: "Is there any festival in town recently? When is the Hanami memorial ceremony?"

"Ha, pay homage to Hanami! Next week, it's not good to count the time according to the kingdom's calendar!" The coachman happily drove the carriage, "The girls put on beautiful dresses, sprinkled petals, and danced by the bonfire. Hey ~ who Call me old."

Griffith leaned back in the seat, listening to the coachman gossip without a word.His thoughts were taken to distant places, with the familiar face, and slowly fell asleep.

……

"Get your carry-on luggage," shouted the stagecoach driver. "Have fun, soldier!"

Griffith woke up from the drowsy daydream, rubbed his face, picked up his backpack and got off the carriage.

The moment he walked out of the car door, a hot wind hit Griffith head-on, nearly knocking him to the ground.

I am not used to the temperature of the southern islands!Griffith, who was wearing the double armor, panicked from the heat, and sweat dripped from his forehead and slid down his cheeks to the corners of his mouth.

There is a faint smell of fish, shrimp and seaweed soaked in seawater in the air!Griffith surveyed the empty streets.The hot sun embraces the quiet town in the afternoon, and groups of cicadas sing the sun on the branches.A big yellow-skinned dog looked up at him lazily from the shadows, and buried his head again.

Hepu Town is a famous tourist destination, and tourists from all over the world will come here.

"This... did I come to the wrong place?"

The stagecoach started abruptly beside Griffith, flung a face of dust on his face, and pulled away with a sting.Griffith stood powerless, watching the carriage turn around the street and run out of sight.

"Griffith, are you Griffith?" A sweet and cheerful girl's voice sounded beside her, "Why are you so tall! Dad asked me to pick you up."

Sweaty Griffith turned his head and found a girl in a thin white dress standing not far behind him.The dress's straps are tied behind the sleek neck, revealing sleek, delicate shoulders.The girl's skin is an alluring wheat color that is pleasing to the eye in the bright sun.With her hands behind her waist, she jumped up and down, and her long ponytail greeted Griffith as the girl swayed:
"Hey hey hey! I'm Iloti, the first-in-line heir and chief assistant to Dr. Zion! Do you still remember me? If you forget something in the car, then you should give up! Uncle Teng was a The champion of the Hepu Mountain Road Race!"

I do remember such a person, but you were still a kid digging in the mud.What first-in-line heir, your father is your only child.

The girl's smile is as lovely as a peach blossom.She wears beautiful sandals on her feet, and her slender ankles are tied with strings. The youthful vitality of a blooming 13-year-old girl is suffocating.

Sweaty Griffith's heart was as bright as a spring flower field.

"Huh?" Seeing Griffith's silence, the girl tilted her head in confusion, "I should have admitted it right~"

"I'm Griffith, long time no see, Iloti," the apprentice knight opened a big smile, a few drops of salty sweat rolled down the corners of his mouth, "how do we get home?"

"I'm going to drive! You take the co-pilot!" Iloti jumped into the blue pony car next to her and patted the co-pilot's hot seat cushion, "Come on, let's go now!!"

Griffith glanced at the pony car on the side of the road and found a few pieces of watermelon rinds on the shelf. "Is this your car?"

Iloti smiled and waited for Griffith to sit down, then deftly released the brakes and raised the whip.The cart moved quack quack, led by two ponies.

"Huh? No, I borrowed it!" The girl raised her chin and looked ahead, "Blue Comet, let's go!"

"Wait! Do you have a driver's license at your age?"

"Hmm~ Hahaha! Hahaha!" Iloti laughed three times in a very stiff tone.

The breeze while accelerating blew on Griffith's face, saving him from the edge of heatstroke: "Is there any problem with this car, there should be mountain roads near the sea."

"It just needs a small car!" Iloti kept urging the pony to speed up, "The big car will rush into the sea if it drifts."

drift?What is it to rush into the sea!Griffith was shocked.The pickup truck was already roaring in the wind, and Iloti's long ponytail was flying in the wind.

"One more you today~ may affect the aerodynamics of the Blue Comet!" The girl turned her head and glanced at Griffith with her beautiful big eyes, "You may not see my best state."

pneumatic?What is Pneumatic?Why should a pickup truck with a watermelon rind still care about aerodynamics?

The whirring of the wind roared in Griffith's ears.In the blink of an eye, the pickup truck got out of the street and roared along the curved seaside mountain road.

Iloti's pony began to accelerate and drifted nimbly on the mountain road, and the whistling of the wind was already in his ears.

The blue minivan was literally flying against the mountain road on the edge of the cliff.Griffith was nearly thrown into the sea at a turn.

The turbulent waves slapped the reefs dozens of meters below the mountain road, and the open field of view was filled with the blue sea.With the blue sky and the sea within reach, even the most discerning tourist will admire the pure beauty in front of them.

Griffith, who had no time to appreciate it, hurriedly grabbed the safety belt on the seat, but when he reached out, he didn't catch anything!

"This car has no seat belts!"

"Yeah! For the ultimate speed, the blue comet threw away all useless weight!"

"Then why is there a watermelon peel behind it!"

The small truck drove Griffith on the mountain road, passing through the world of green mountains and the sea, and came to the half-mountain overlooking the sea.

"La la la!" The girl jumped off the seat and pulled the pony to park at the door of the two-story hut in the middle of the mountain. With a sweet smile, she watched Griffith get out of the car, stretched out her hands and drew a hug The big circle of the world: "Hepu welcomes you!"

Not luxurious but beautiful and elegant red brick houses one after another, stretching from the clean and tidy coast to the lush mid-mountain.Griffith noticed that although there were no pedestrians or vehicles along the way, the roads in the town were all paved with cobblestones and were very elegant.

"This is my home, you go first!" The girl jumped into the van and waved to Griffith, "I'm going to take the blue comet back to the preparation room first, and remember to leave me a crab for dinner! "

Griffith, who was frightened by the sea breeze all the way, picked up his backpack and knocked on the door.

Dr. Zion's villa is very spacious. Pots of orchids are grown in small clay pots, neatly circled around the walls.The beautiful and delicate crystal flowers bloom proudly, making people feel refreshed.

Griffith picked up a pot of plants closest to the door and found that there was also a number marked on the pot.

"2887."

Really not a good number.The Brownie from Overwatch came to Griffith's mind.The guy finally took advantage of the chaos to escape, and I don't know if he escaped from the Whispering Forest.

The other jars are marked with similar numbers, all after the 2500.

Griffith knocked on the door.

"Hey, you're here!" The unshaven Dr. Zion walked out and smiled at his nephew, "I haven't come back for many years. Isn't the climate in Hepu quite pleasant, you were so afraid of heat when you were young, but you don't have it now? Sweat proves it."

I was just frightened, uncle.

Griffith put on his shoes and walked into the living room, giving his uncle a bottle of Bayeran wine as a gift: "Excuse me, uncle. Are you using orchids as test subjects?"

"Because the genetics are stable, and the medium required is relatively small, large-scale cultivation does not take up space. In addition to orchids, there are some other plants. You have taken potions at Homonwarts. This is a science with unlimited prospects. ," the doctor pointed to the kitchen, "there's juice in the ice cellar in the basement."

"Thanks," Griffith surveyed the room, "did the research go well?"

"The progress is normal," Dr. Zion looked quite relaxed, "without the stubborn interference from Homonwarts, my experiments can be considered clean."

"Have you met Iloti?" Dr. Zion walked towards the laboratory. "I have to work for a while. The little girl will come back at six o'clock to have dinner with us. You can rest in the living room."

Griffith nodded, watching the doctor close the door and enter his laboratory.

What is he researching... Although he is not proficient in potions, he is well aware that the larger the sample population observed in Zion's experiments, the higher the probability of success.

Leaving the state-of-the-art potions laboratory, mature research team, and large-scale, systematic testing and breeding facilities provided by Homonwarts, hiding behind closed doors like a small workshop in the countryside is a child's play, as absurd as a novel story in.Relying on the few circles of orchids planted outside the villa wall to get the desired results, it is impossible to succeed even if it takes decades.

There must be other reasons why Dr. Zion came to Hepu for his research.

……

"Yeah! I'm back!" Iloti knocked on the door a few times, "It's not closed! Aren't you afraid the bears will come in and eat you?"

"Hello, assistant. The bears in the subtropical evergreen broad-leaved forest have been eaten up by humans," Griffith turned to the girl with the newspaper, "Did you send the carriage back?"

"It's not a carriage, it's a racing carriage! It's a speed wagon!" The girl turned her head and walked into the basement with a wagging ponytail to take out a bottle of milk, and muttered to herself, "It's about to start the race. Let me practice more, it's really stingy."

"Gu dong... woo ha! Iced milk is delicious!" The girl sat next to Griffith with the frozen milk, and his youthful aura instantly made him excited.

The girl gulped down a gulp of milk, and a few drops of white liquid dripped down her delicate chin onto the undulating curve of her neckline.

"Indeed..." Griffith turned his head away little by little like a rusty tin man in a fairy tale.

While the two were sitting and chatting, dinner was served.

Iloti jumped to one side of the dining table and sat down, patted the seat next to her, "Come on, come on! Sit here! Here, this thing is called 'chopsticks'!"

"I can use it!" Griffith took the two slender wooden sticks handed by the girl and gestured, "You were still breastfeeding when I used chopsticks."

The cooking of dinner is very simple. Fresh swimming crabs, shells and prawns are boiled with simple onion ginger and cooking wine to maintain the original and attractive aroma of seafood. The main food is crystal clear and elastic rice. Instantly makes people feel the reality of life.The fresh water spinach is simply stir-fried with garlic, and it is full of aroma that is very suitable for seafood.

Almost all seafood...Aren't you afraid of gout if you eat this way?Griffith glanced at the only plate of vegetables on the table.

"Iloti, there's not much to do in the lab these days, take Griffith around," Dr. Zion stared at the plate of shrimp in front of him and ate slowly, looking absent-minded.

"Yes, sir!" The girl raised the crab claw in her hand in a salute, "Griffith Griffith, let me take you to see the seven wonders of Hepu!"

"Oh? Which seven?" Griffith raised his eyebrows. "I don't remember saying that when I was a kid."

"Deadly Cyclonus Headless Horseman," Iloti counted with her crab claws.

Wait a mininute!Why is the first one the Headless Horseman?Is this a Beyonder or a mutant creature?Why didn't the garrison kill it?I will organize an siege when I go to Holy Grace Church tomorrow.Griffith found the first name unacceptable.

"Clear soup with little water cape!"

This sounds a bit normal, what's weird?

"No Story Holy Grace Church!"

Holy Grace Hall is the stronghold of the Beyonders nearby, where I work temporarily. Who made up your strange combination?

"Arendelle is not in love!"

It's a personal name!Do the seven incredible parties who used it as a town have any opinions?This time the combination is less regular and doesn't rhyme.And not very polite.

“Quiet and warm with endless horizons!”

Oh... Griffith moved his lips.

"How many have I said?" Iloti had no lady's etiquette, biting crabs.In a position that was not easy to chew, she simply swallowed a small piece of the shell.

"Five, um," Griffith gave the girl a chopstick of vegetables, "don't just eat seafood, aren't you afraid of gout in the future?"

"It's so annoying—! Listen to your weak tone! You are an old grandfather!" Iloti glared at the water spinach in the bowl, "It's rare to eat such fresh seafood, of course you have to enjoy it to the fullest, otherwise what are you doing here? !"

Wait a mininute!What is rare to eat?Griffith shouted: "Listen to you! Haven't you lived here for a long time?"

The dining table suddenly became quiet, and Iloti, who was holding the swimming crab, stopped, turned her big eyes slowly to Griffith, and glanced at him with a guilty conscience, "Hehe~"

"What? Don't you know?" Dr. Zion put down his chopsticks, "Iloti usually lives in Pasha's city."

Pasha is on the western continent, hundreds of miles away from Neopolis Island...

"How long have you been here?" Griffith raised his eyebrows.

"Seven days..." Iloti grabbed the crab and resisted, "Is it a senior who came seven days earlier than you!?"

"What about the driving age of the blue comet?"

"3..." The girl's voice dropped, "No, today is the fourth day!"

So I actually walked through the gates of hell today... Griffith picked up his chopsticks, looked for an angle, and tapped Iloti on the head with the back end.

"Ouch!" The girl ducked to the side, "But, I'm learning super fast! I'm the girl who wants to dominate the Hepu Mountain Road Race! Oh, by the way, there is another incredible thing that is 'Harmony Harmony' Race'!"

This name sounds like irony and full of malice. Could it be that every sentence above is ironic?Griffith sighed: "Is there not much population in this town?"

"I don't know~" Iloti found that she seemed to be let go.

"What's more incredible is the quiet and peaceful full moon night, the fresh and elegant flower festival," Dr. Zion added for his daughter.

Griffith found another question: "Hey, isn't that eight? That's eight! Are the people in town ignorant?"

"The people from your big city are hypocritical!" The girl raised her chin, "Eight out of the seven incredible things are axioms known to the world!"

……

After dinner, Iloti grabbed Griffith and cleaned up the dishes together.

"You don't look like you wash the dishes," Griffith said, standing on the other side of the sink washing dishes.Iloti was standing beside him wearing an apron. The thin dress was hidden by the apron. From Griffith's point of view, the girl's undulating curves, smooth shoulders, and slender arms were seen.

It's like wearing only an apron...

"Huh? What's wrong?" The girl raised her head and looked at the tall boy beside her, "Why do you feel this way?"

"No, it's nothing." Griffith turned his head and looked at the moon hanging high outside the window.

The moon is so beautiful.

　The main course of this volume is about to come. Today, only this chapter will be updated to control the rhythm of the plot.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)