In the tavern, against the gasps of everyone, Ricky said slowly:

"What secret?"

Thales stared at the drill, unable to take his eyes away.

His curiosity and suspicion about that night overcame the uneasiness and fear in his heart.

The driller didn't answer right away.

The man in Shadow Shield looked around, and after seeing that everyone was attracted by this topic, he bowed and smiled with satisfaction.

"That's why I'm here today."

He slowly raised his head, revealing a pair of eyes that suddenly became sharp under his eyebrows: "Since crossing the sea, Teng has shown unusual enthusiasm for the Bright Star royal family. I guess it is due to his past status."

"But, in the bloody year, accepting a deal that leaves no room for retreat and uprooting the Bright Star royal family? This is really too much."

Next to Ricky's hand, the masked man snorted coldly.

Year of Blood.

Upon hearing the keyword, Thales' eyelids twitched for no reason.

"There must be a reason, a reason why he is so fascinated by the bright star."

Zhuo Zi straightened up and responded to the people with different expressions one by one with indifferent eyes.

"Six years ago, as our person in charge in the North, I issued an order: If there is an opportunity, assassinate the visiting Second Prince of the Stars."

Quick Rope gave Thales a light poke in the dark.

Thales lowered his eyelashes and pretended not to see the reproachful look from the other party: "Why is it you again?"

Zhuozi's words continued, attracting everyone's attention: "But this order was eventually blocked by Teng. He even went against the norm and took the risk to show up, just to prevent us subordinates from doing impulsive things."

"He wanted that prince alive, so he even sent me to negotiate with the Black Sand Master."

Ricky frowned and moved his fingers lightly on the table.

"From the almost crazy assassination of royal family members eighteen years ago, to now doing everything possible to ensure the survival of that prince," Zhuo Zi showed a mysterious expression: "The changes in attitude before and after Teng can only explain one thing."

He raised a finger and sounded serious:

"The existence of that prince must mean something."

Thales could feel his nails clenching the palm of his hand.

The mercenaries started to commotion in low voices.

Zhuozi ignored him and just stared at the highest-ranking Ricky: "If I take him down, I can find out Teng's secret, find out why he is so interested in the Bright Star royal family, and find out his bloody color."

In the past year, he has gone crazy to take over the big business and the truth behind it."

"What do you say? Do you want to discover this secret with us?"

The commotion of the mercenaries became louder and louder, and Thales could even hear Marina gritting her teeth behind her.

Northland swordsman Clay leaned forward and said something in the masked man's ear, but the masked man just shook his head slightly.

Until Ricky raised a hand expressionlessly to silence the whispers around him.

"Where's Teng?"

The leader of the mercenaries did not dwell on the so-called secret thrown out by the other party, but asked softly:

"How is he doing now?"

Returning to this topic, Dongzi's face seemed to be covered with a haze.

He and Ricky looked at each other quietly, but the latter's indifferent expression showed his attitude and focus.

The driller could only sigh slightly.

"Life or death is uncertain."

The three leaders of the Sword of Disaster frowned at the same time.

"But I can tell you that his situation is not good, very bad," Zhuozi clasped his hands and took over the conversation very quickly, "For six years since then, Teng has not shown up in the organization again, even

I rarely receive instructions from him anymore, even if I do..."

He said solemnly: "Including me, more than one person in the organization began to doubt the current situation of the shadow master."

After hearing what the driller said, Ricky took a deep breath.

"So," "Crasus" of the Sword of Disaster showed a strange expression: "The Shadow Shield is now a headless poisonous snake."

The masked swordsman added unhappily: "That makes them even more dangerous: you never know where the venom will splash."

Clay snorted softly, and the driller could only respond with an embarrassed smile.

"Then what are you doing here?"

Ricky shook his head: "Discover his secrets and inherit his unfinished mission?"

The boy's smile slowly disappeared.

"Needless to say, after Teng's disappearance, Shadow Shield is at a critical turning point."

Zhuozi coughed: "As I said, capturing that prince is the key to solving the mystery. It is a summary of Teng's actions in the past ten years."

The masked man snorted lightly.

"It sounds like you are very dissatisfied with your master?"

"dissatisfied?"

The driller's expression was subtle at first, and then he shook his head decisively.

"No, I am here to save the desperate Shadow Shield from desperate situations and difficulties."

"We can't continue like this. Shadow Shield needs to be invigorated, needs to be revived, needs new stimulation..."

The masked man interrupted him again.

"Or a new leader I guess you want to say?"

The man's words immediately choked in his mouth.

"It's been twenty years since Teng came to the Western Continent," the masked man said coldly, with a tone of knowing a lot: "Having been a 'Shadow Master' for twenty years, how do you think about Shadow Shield's leadership rotation?

In terms of a 'good tradition', his reign was indeed too long."

The man's face turned cold.

"You don't have to hint like that."

"I am disclosing these secrets to you all just to win your trust," said Zhuozi coldly, "to prove to you that Shadow Shield, at least the part I lead, is no longer Teng.

The old views of that period, and we should not bear the treatment and stigma of that period."

As soon as he said this, the masked man hummed and shook his head, while Clay chuckled.

It was Marina who unexpectedly took over the drill's words.

"It's ridiculous," the woman in red said in a hateful tone: "What kind of 'stigma' do you think we can give to a group of stinky rats in the gutter?"

Hearing this rebuttal, Dozi frowned and looked at Ricky, only to find that the other party was not at all displeased that the conversation had been interrupted.

He could only sigh and turn to Marina.

"I'm not just talking."

Facing Marina's hateful eyes, Dozi said with sadness: "There was a time when Shadow Shield was not a rat that everyone yelled at. Once upon a time, we also had noble and respectable ideas."

The mercenaries looked at each other.

I saw Zhuo Zi take a deep breath: "Thousands of years ago, the empire was finally restored, and the major powers were born. The powerful and high-ranking people set off countless wars, tyranny, slavery, oppression, and the helpless people of the world experienced a

Another famine, death, pain and suffering."

"So, after being forced to a dead end, such a group of people came into being: they were from humble backgrounds, with despicable names, and were alone. However, they stood up to take the sword. They used their small and big powers in the weak situation, risked their lives in the shadows to attack, and used the most primitive

The simplest but most powerless and clumsy way is to assassinate tyrants, resist tyranny, fight back against power, stand in the way of the rulers' injustice and the tyranny of the princes, and raise the voice of the suffering people."

"It's rare," Ricky said with a hint of approval in his eyes: "Compared with those killers who act blindly, at least you understand the past of your organization."

Thales' eyebrows moved: This was the first time he heard the Shadow Shield described from this angle.

The drill boy leaned forward, then let out a long sigh, his eyes wandering.

“Once upon a time, we were the last hope of the poor, the pioneers of the insurgents, and the unreturnable warriors of the resistance. Through unimaginable means and costs, we threatened, reminded, and warned those tyrants who held high positions but preyed on the common people.

"In the shadow cast by the rulers, there will always be such a restless presence, always turning into the sturdiest and most thorny shield, guarding the people who are trampled under their feet and look down upon like ants."

Ricky remained motionless, while Clay and the masked man responded with expressions: the former scorned, the latter snorted.

But Zhuozi's words were interrupted again.

"How can you be so shameless and describe a despicable thing in such a great way?"

"Last hope? Bah," Marina gritted her teeth and said, "You scum, do you know how many thousands of innocent people lost their lives because of you during the bloody years?"

The driller looked back at Marina with some surprise.
To be continued...