The Law of the Silent Gentleman

"I'll get out!" the officer yelled.

"Damn ghost! Where are you going again! Are you going shopping in a brothel! Oh, come back!"

The official ran out of the house, but fortunately his horse was not unsaddled. He climbed on the horse and urged the horse to run towards the temple area of ​​Vanessa. He didn't know where the temple of the "God of Truth and Pretense" was, and it took him a lot of effort to find out the route from passers-by. At sunset, he finally found the temple.

The priests in the temple sent away the last batch of believers who came to pray for blessings, and were about to close. Shouting "Wait a minute," the official ran up the steps of the temple in three steps, bypassed the fountain in front of the gate, and stopped a priestess.

"Please, please wait a moment!" He was out of breath, "This...this lady..."

The priestess was old, gray-haired, and wrinkled. She glanced at the official uniform on the official's body, and said with a smile, "What's the matter with this lord? If you want to pray for blessings, please come back tomorrow. The temple will be closed to thank guests at sunset."

"No, I... I have something to ask."

"Is it something related to the public affairs in the city?"

"Yes! Yes! May I ask if any apprentices in your temple died of poisoning recently?"

The priestess had a strange expression: "Apprentice? Ah, you mean the trainee priest. No. If that kind of tragedy happened, we would definitely report it to the magistrate."

"Then is there a blond male priest in his twenties in your temple? He is very handsome."

"No. We don't have many brothers and sisters. There are only three male priests in their twenties, but none of them are blond or handsome." After speaking, the priestess smiled teasingly.

"This is the only temple in the city to the 'God of Truth and Deception'?"

"Exactly. This temple was established not long ago, thanks to the donations of generous believers... Ah, my lord, are you leaving? Do you have anything else to ask?"

"No more! Goodbye!"

The officer jumped down the steps, nearly spraining his foot. shit! Something big happened! He made a big mistake! That blond young man was not a priest at all, and the corpse he took away was definitely not an apprentice either! No, maybe it wasn't a corpse at all, but a living person disguised as a corpse! The apprentice had dyed hair and looked about seventeen or eighteen years old. Although he couldn't see his face clearly due to the soot on his face, other features were consistent with the wanted criminal Giuliano Sacon! Maybe... no no, it must be Giuliano Sacon! He escaped from the city disguised as a dead body! Something is wrong, the city guard must be notified!

He jumped on his horse and galloped away. Suddenly, the horse let out a whine, and it rolled over on its side! He fell off his horse and, due to inertia, rolled on the road for a long distance before stopping. He got up in disgrace, only to see a tripping rope pulled on the ground.

"Cough...cough...help...help..."

His whole body was in excruciating pain, and a big lump swelled up on his head. He couldn't stand up for a while, so he could only sit on the ground and yell. But there was no one on this street. The sun fell below the horizon, and night shrouded the city of Vanessa. The temperature was cool at night, but the official felt a bone-chilling chill spread to his limbs and bones.

Two people emerged from the shadows. It was as if they were part of the shadow themselves, materialized by some nameless force. One is dressed in fine clothes and wearing a fox mask. The other was dressed in plain black and wore a beak mask. The officer was suddenly out of breath. is the reticent. he thought. The Reticent tripped my horse and was going to kill me next!

"What should I do?" Fox Mask asked Beak Mask, "Get rid of him?"

The bird's beak mask waved his hand: "It's too obvious. Even if an official in charge of the funeral industry died, the city guards could understand the strangeness of it."

"Then how do you shut him up?"

"I have a bottle of poison. After drinking it, people will lose their minds and have all kinds of hallucinations. They can't distinguish between reality and fantasy. It takes about a month or so to return to normal. Brothels sometimes mix a small amount of this drug into alcohol Make him drink drugs and throw him in a whorehouse. When people find him, he's in the brothel going crazy. Even if he tells what he found, no one will take the junkie's nonsense seriously."

"Good idea. Instead of making him unable to say a word, it is better to let him say as much as possible. If you say too much, no one will be able to tell whether it is true or not."

The reticent man wearing a fox mask pressed the official's body and opened his mouth. The beak mask poured all the poison into his mouth.

"What's next?" Fox Mask asked.

"Take off your mask, hold him by the arm, and go into a brothel at random, remember to call him brothers and pretend that you are good buddies who come out to drink flowers and wine together."

"I mean, what about you?"

"Of course I'm going back... to do research!"

When the fox mask helped the deranged and nonsense official onto the horse, and led the horse towards the red light district, the beak mask let out a deep laugh. A note slipped from his sleeve. This morning, as soon as he had settled the exchanged body, a Brother Reticent found him and handed him this note.

The note was written by Enzo and delivered by the master boatman in black. According to orders from above, Petro the alchemist and Brother the Reticent, who sent the note, found a bag of gold in Enzo's secret hideout (one of his many hideouts), and in return they managed to get the undertaker "Shut up".

Petro took out the fire pocket from the secret pocket of his clothes and burned the note. Enzo and his young friend are far away now, right? Where will they hide? Enzo mentioned Lorran, but Lorran is a very big place...

Will he ever see them again?

At the same time, Lorran in the northwest of the Yod Coast.

During the Second Dynasty, Lorjan was a Grand Duchy. Since the abdication of the last emperor and the fall of the second dynasty, more than 80 years have passed, and the Grand Duchy of Lorran has ceased to exist. Today, Lorran has been divided into many small territories, which are controlled by their respective lords. They attack each other, and the wars and conspiracies are endless.

In a small village on the border of Lorran.

The elderly man took down the sword hanging on the wall, held it in his hand, and felt its heavy weight. The man's hair is almost completely white, his beard is still mostly black, and his forehead is deeply wrinkled. He seems to be worried because of various troubles. He was dressed in gray coarse cloth, old leather trousers and flip boots on his legs, and he was dressed like a farmer, but his eyes were sharp, as if hiding a knife edge, and he did not look like an honest and simple farmer at all. People in the village often said that when he stared at others, he was like a wolf watching its prey.

The man touched the scabbard and sighed slightly. This sword has been with him for many years, and it is like a brother to him. But he hadn't touched the sword for many years, he just hung it on the wall as a majestic decoration. When guests come to the house, they will envy and say: "So you used to be an adventurer!" Apart from this, the sword has no other function.

The man held the hilt of the sword and slightly pulled out the blade a few inches. His right hand is missing a thumb, and a metal finger cot was put on the base of the severed finger. He can do some simple tasks at ordinary times, but he can no longer hold a sword.

The sword was still sharp, and the silver metal reflected the owner's face. He didn't dare to look at his own face, for fear of suddenly discovering how time had changed him. He hurriedly put the sword back into its sheath, tied the sword to a special belt, and then turned and went out.

A young man was waiting outside the house. His name was Antoine, and he was an orphan in the village. He was brought up by a man as his adopted son and student. Antoine was less than twenty years old, with short brown hair and lively brown eyes. He wore a suit of old leather armor, a patched wool cloak, and a bulging knapsack. He is about to go on a long journey.

Perhaps impatient to wait, Antoine found a blade of grass somewhere and put it in his mouth.

"Antoine!" the man yelled.

"teacher!"

"Come here!" The man beckoned. Antoine greeted him like an obedient lamb.

"You take this sword."

Antoine's eyes widened, and the blades of grass in his mouth were blown away by the wind. "But... Teacher, this is your treasure! I can't accept it!"

"It's useless for me to hold it, but you, you need a weapon to defend yourself."

Antoine waved his hand: "No, no, no! I'm just going to see the Lord Baron. The journey back and forth is at most ten days, and there will be no danger. Besides, when I return, the Lord Baron's army will be with me. I'm afraid what?"

"The world is not peaceful now, so be prepared. Take it."

After finishing speaking, the man ignored Antoine's refusal, and tied the belt with the sword around the young man's waist. Antoine's cheeks flushed with excitement. This sword is the treasure he longed for, and he never dreamed that one day he would be able to travel far with it.

"Teacher, I will not let you down! I will not disgrace your reputation!" Antoine solemnly swore to the teacher while pressing the hilt of his sword.

"I don't have any prestige. Just take care of yourself and 'Girissa'."

"Girissa" is the name of that sword.

The man patted Antoine on the shoulder: "Go. According to local customs, those who leave their hometown should set off at sunset and return at sunrise. It's almost time, let's go."

The young man nodded: "I'll be back soon!" Full of pride and high spirits, he walked towards the entrance of the village under the watchful eye of the teacher. The villagers who returned late saw him and waved goodbye to him one after another.

"Be careful on the road, Antoine!"

"Children! Eat on time, pay attention to rest, and don't tire yourself out!"

"Go, good brother! Bring back the reinforcements from the baron, and defeat the bandits on the mountain!"

"Brother Antoine, I will miss you!"

The heroes in the story all set out from their hometown in this way. thought the young man. Will I be a hero too?

At the same time, on the ruins of the old imperial capital Ravina.

This was once the heart of the mighty Second Dynasty, praised by passionate poets as "the center of the earth" and "a city within a city". It was built with white and beautiful marble. At one time, there were 250,000 people living here. It was the most prosperous and magnificent capital city in the world.

However, no matter how great an empire is, it will fall one day. The second dynasty Guozuo lasted 821 years. Eighty-six years ago, the last emperor announced his abdication and was assassinated. The empire created by Emperor Darion was thus destroyed. In the same year, a temple to the Black and White Goddess was built in Gray Wing City, the northern seaport, to represent the return of the ancient gods to the earth. The era of the Dragon Emperor is over, and the era of revival begins.

Today, the city of Ravina has a population of less than 30,000. Most of the buildings were looted, and then either destroyed or abandoned. Those that remained were not well repaired and gradually fell into disrepair. The once glorious "city within a city" was reduced to a heap of white rubble and ruins. But one thing is very strange: the city of Ravina was originally built on the site of the ancient elven city, and after many expansions, it became the imperial capital of the second dynasty. Now, the parts added by humans have collapsed one after another, but the original elf buildings still stand tall, and after a long time of baptism, they appear more magnificent and beautiful.

In the center of Ravina City, there is a building that still remains the same, and that is the monument to the founding emperor Darien. It is said that the protective magic of the dragon **** is attached to the stele, so it will last forever.

In the evening, an old man who was born, raised, married and started a business in the city of Ravina, who is old and will one day be buried here, went for a walk in Dali'an Memorial Square. Few people patronize here, because people say that the square is an ominous place. But the old man didn't think so. Old people like squares and lofty monuments. When he was born, the city of Ravina was not so dilapidated, and still maintained the grandeur of the imperial capital. After many years, its beautiful figure is still engraved in the heart of the old man.

The old man leaned on a cane and looked at the monument. Unexpectedly, there was a person in front of the monument. He took a few steps closer and saw it clearly: it was a young man with long frosty white hair, wearing a vintage white dress and carrying a lute on his back. The body of the piano is old in color and looks old, and there is a rolled rose engraved on the body of the piano. If the old man knows something about the craft of violin making, he will know that the rose is the symbol of a famous craftsman hundreds of years ago. Today, the old man's life savings may not be able to afford a single string of this piano.

Hearing someone approaching, the man turned around vigilantly, his amber eyes fixed on the old man, like an arrow nailing the old man in place.

The old man collected himself. He had lived all these years, seen wars, rebellions, and murders, married, fathered children, raised them and sent them away, experienced the worst and best things in the world. Nothing in the world can frighten him anymore.

"Young man, I don't think you are a local. Are you here to visit the historic site?"

The man froze for a moment, as if surprised by the old man's calmness, and immediately smiled: "Yes, old man, I'm a passing passenger, and I came here to pay homage to the Emperor Darien's Monument."

"Oh! Rare! Few people come to visit these days! Young man, I would like to remind you that you are alone and don't even have a weapon to protect yourself. You have to be careful. There are bandits in the city killing people on the street at night!"

"Thank you for your kind reminder. I will leave after looking at it. I won't stay for long."

The old man walked around the square and went straight home after completing the daily task of taking a walk after dinner. After he left, the man remained under the monument. He stretched out his hand and touched the monument lightly, with a sad expression on his face.

"The empire established by Omaran lasted for 1,200 years." He said softly, "The empire you established lasted for 820 years. After that, more than 80 years have passed."

He raised his head and looked at the ancient writing flying on the stone tablet. "How time flies, doesn't it, Darion?"

No one answered his question. A gust of evening wind blows by, taking away his sigh.

Volume II Assassin's Apprentice