With mixed emotions, Thales left the ominous "Ghost Prince" tower.
The chaos and noise in the Blade Tooth camp suddenly returned to my ears.
"I guess the sudden blockade order caught many people off guard, and the soldiers..." Old Hammer exhaled: "The entire camp is a little more chaotic than usual. Of course, it's not very stable at ordinary times."
Thales shuttled behind Old Hammer and Quick Rope, struggled to squeeze past three men arguing with each other with different accents, dismissed a blacksmith who spat at him to sell him a rusty fighting sword, and politely avoided someone who wanted to
The woman in gorgeous makeup who lifted up her petticoat to her thighs cleverly bypassed a group of gangsters who were watching in the corner and drunkenly approached when they saw a newcomer approaching.
But when he saw a timid beggar reaching out to him, sighing and wanting to take out a few Northland copper coins, he was held down by Old Hammer.
"No, if you show your compassion now, seven or eight people will be looking at you later. The Blade Tooth Camp will not be as good as before," Old Hammer stuffed Thales' money bag back into his bag and looked around cautiously.
At the same time, he patted the weapons on his body:
"A few years ago, the Blood Bottle Gang shrunk on a large scale, and it can even be said that after the Blade Tooth Camp was let go, people on the road did not follow the rules very much, and acted without any bottom line, until they stripped you naked and sold you, and you still haven't
Know who is responsible."
Kuaisheng's face turned pale, as if he remembered something, and muttered a few words in a low voice.
Thales was slightly startled by Old Hammer's words.
"The Blood Bottle Gang?"
The old hammer nodded.
"When I was still in the army, this group of gangsters who called themselves the Blood Bottle Gang controlled the underground world here. They were very powerful at one time. They colluded with the local nobles and were brothers with the top brass of the army. They lived in the Blade Tooth Camp.
, whether it is goods smuggling or black market trading, street guarding or flesh and blood business, one-third of them are covered by them, and there are even many people who have left the army who have no place to stay, so they will go to the Blood Bottle Gang to earn food and clothing."
"But two or three years ago, when we returned to Blade Tooth Camp, the Blood Bottle Gang's power was not as strong as it used to be. At least it had restrained a lot." Old Hammer snorted softly: "I heard that they were beaten by someone in the mainland.
Their more ruthless opponents gave them a lesson and suffered heavy losses, which even affected the prestige here."
Thales was thoughtful.
The accents from all over the continent are mixed together, and even unfamiliar languages from far away occasionally appear. Various businesses and transactions come and go, and currencies from many countries are mixed and used, allowing Thales to once again refresh his established understanding of this 'desert frontline'
impression.
The three of them walked through the dusty streets. After passing a number of fortresses, a strange building appeared in front of them:
From a distance, it looks like a large upside-down bowl, but it occupies a vast area, comparable to the Sunset Temple in Yongxing City. It is like a giant building a huge sandstone block in the desert.
This semicircular building does not seem to have much connection to the outside world. The mottled and rough curved walls are filled with tiny holes that require squinting to see clearly, allowing sunlight to penetrate and sand dust to invade.
In the field of vision that Thales could see, there was only one narrow arch on the wide outer wall, guarded by a group of fully armed soldiers. The arch was dark and hazy, making it difficult to see clearly, and it was vaguely gloomy and ominous.
.
Thales had doubts in his heart.
Is this a bunker, or at least a military building?
Or is it simply the commander's residence? Then maybe, I can see him here...
"Oh, do we have to go this way?" Quick Rope's frustrated voice sounded, and he covered his head and refused to look at the building.
"Don't complain," Old Hammer said without looking back, "This is the fastest way."
"What's the meaning?"
Thales pointed to the semicircular bunker that looked like a colosseum in confusion: "That's..."
The fast rope let out a strange sigh.
"The Prison of Bones."
"The last place in the world you want to be."
Looking at the group of guarding soldiers, Thales was stunned: "The Prison of Bones?"
Old Hammer nodded: "The entire Western Wilderness and even the kingdom's penal colony for felons."
If Thales realizes something.
He knows this place.
At the beginning of the founding of the Star Kingdom, the strange wasteland beneath our feet reached Exeter in the upper part, the Great Desert in the middle, and the small countries in the south below. It was a veritable nightmare land. As a newly conquered Star Kingdom, most of its areas were deserted and the borders were dangerous.
It is heavily burdened by wind and sand all year round, and the landscape is unfavorable for living. In addition to being sealed for meritorious service, many historians believe that the Falkenhaus family was sealed in the Western Wasteland as a disguised punishment. In fact, it reflected their relationship with Thomund I.
The noble lords had bad relations with each other, and only those who were exiled here because of their crimes reluctantly took root. Year after year, day after day, the West Wilderness Territory became what it is today.
During this period, what added color to the arduous journey and vicious reputation of the Western Wilderness Territory was the cruel Prison of Bones.
I don’t know when it started, especially for those prisoners who committed heinous crimes or were highly controversial, when the usual sentences were no longer applicable, they were often exiled to the Western Wilderness, exiled to the Blade Tooth Camp, and imprisoned in the infamous White Bones.
Prison, a new way of redeeming one's sentence, not only saves the trouble of judges and local prisons, but also provides free labor to the difficult Western Wilderness and even the Blade Tooth Camp, relieving the heavy pressure on the Western Front.
"Did you see the part on the ground, those small windows? That's the 'white prison' in the Prison of Bones," Old Hammer glanced sideways at the ominous building, avoiding the scrutiny of the guards: "The people imprisoned inside are
People who are convicted locally and have relatively minor crimes can at least see the light of day and only need to do hard labor to pay for their crimes."
Kuai Sheng rarely interrupted, he just looked at the depressing bone prison with disgust.
"But the White Prison is only a small part of the Prison of Bones. It is more of a 'dark prison' built underground with countless deep caves that never see the light of day. It is specially prepared for felons exiled from all over the kingdom. The more serious the crime they commit,
, the deeper they are imprisoned, and as the prison cells go downwards, there are fewer and fewer prisoners, and they become more and more dangerous."
"Once you enter a dark cell, there is no other way to leave except to become a desperate death squad, charge to the death on the battlefield, or act as a decoy."
Thales stared intently at the foundation outside the Bone Prison, imagining the scene below.
The old hammer sighed slightly: "Of course, death squads are not always available, and the places are also very tight. After the desert war, there are not many places that need death squads. If this opportunity is lost, the remaining people in the black cell can only wait.
They died of old age one after another, leaving behind their white bones for the unlucky underachievers to trample on."
"That's how the Prison of Bones got its name."
"Let's go," Kuaisheng frowned unnaturally, looking slightly embarrassed, "This place makes me nervous."
Old Hammer patted him on the shoulder: "When Quick Rope first arrived, he was tricked into a white prison. I guess he was deeply impressed."
Thales looked at the fast rope in surprise.
But Kuaisheng just pursed his lips and did not answer.
Thales wisely stopped asking and withdrew his gaze from the mysterious and deep Prison of Bones.
They left the confines of the Prison of Bones and crossed the corner of a square fortress.
"So, where are we going?"
Old Hammer shrugged: "My home."
Thales couldn't help but be startled.
"Your home? I thought you said that your hometown is in the ruins?"
Old Hammer chuckled and shook his head.
"Oh, I'm not talking about my home, but... you'll know when you get there."
Quick Rope blinked slyly, making the confused Thales even more confused.
But his doubts did not last long.
After crossing a dusty street again, they squeezed through the crowd and arrived in front of a three-story oval blockhouse where people came and went. The front door was wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage to drive in.
"This is right here," Quick Rope patted Thales on the shoulder: "My home."
Thales raised his head curiously and found a huge wooden sign hanging in front of the bunker door. On the sign was an expressive pattern of a wine glass, spilling wine and swaying slightly with the wind in the desert.
The moment he saw the sign clearly, the prince's eyebrows twitched involuntarily.
I saw two big words engraved in the center of the wine glass:
【my home】
There is a line of small words carved under the signboard:
[Humans will die, orcs will fall, the queen will pass away, and we will never close the door. Starting from the 38th year of the End Calendar, Queen Elliga’s last wine glass]
Thales followed Old Hammer through the door with a feeling of dumbfounding.
What comes into view is a dozen wooden round tables arranged randomly, with the unique sandy atmosphere of the desert. Customers of all kinds and the tavern girls are coming and going, drinking and drinking, playing and noisy, from toasting songs to playing dice, and even quarreling.
There were shouts and angry shouts, almost all the voices came at the same time, it was so lively.
The old hammer ignored Thales' surprised look, and he skillfully pushed aside the two men who were almost drunk under the table, stuffed a copper coin into the chest of a certain waitress who blocked the road, and firmly held his hand in her aggrieved eyes.
Pull it out and head straight to the bar.
"I've always wanted to do this," Quick Rope said quietly to Thales, glancing at the hot waitress: "But Louisa and the others said I wasn't strong enough to pull my hand back."
Maybe they have a point.
Thales looked at the fast rope that followed him and said silently in his heart.
"Ximan," Old Hammer sat on the bar and said to a gray-haired middle-aged man next to him who was thinking about himself: "We are back."
The middle-aged man turned his head, revealing a weathered face.
"Some people are saying that a caravan entered the camp despite the blockade order," Seaman glanced at Quick Rope and Thales who were also sitting down:
"I was worried it was you."
Old Hammer shrugged: "Obviously, your worries have come true."
"How many?"
Seaman said softly: "I mean...how much staff will be reduced?"
Thales noticed that he was already quite old.
This topic shocked both the old hammer and the fast rope.
"How did you..."
"I have been doing this for twenty years, Hammer, and before that I was a soldier for ten years." Seaman let out a deep breath and twirled the wine glass in his hand: "I know what people who have lost their comrades look like.
expression."
These words seemed to have a magical power, blocking out all the noise in the tavern outside this corner.
Both Old Hammer and Quick Rope were silent for a long time.
Affected by them, Thales thought of his experience in the desert and the ending of the swordsmen he had briefly gotten along with, and felt heartbroken.
The gray-haired Seaman did not continue. He sighed heavily and turned to the bar: "Tampa, give this guy a strong drink!"
A fierce man with knife marks on his neck walked out from behind the bar in response. He grabbed three wine bottles and "made" a glass of wine in the blink of an eye using a technique that Thales couldn't see clearly. He pushed it over and ignored it during the process.
He looked slightly expectantly at the speed rope and glanced at Thales coldly.
Seaman pushed the wine glass towards Old Hammer: "How much."
Old Hammer took a swig of wine, shook his head while hissing, knocked the wine glass heavily on the table, and let out a sigh of relief.
Kuaisheng answered sullenly from the side: "Six."
Seaman sneered: "Who else survived?"
The old hammer looked sad.
"Louisa, McGee, and Dean."
Seaman said nothing, his eyes glued to the wine glass.
"By the way, this is Huaiya..." As if to liven up the atmosphere, Kuaisheng coughed:
"The young man we rescued on the road, to be honest, helped us a lot. He... Huaiya, this is Seaman, one of the people left behind in our team."
Thales, who was looking at this magical tavern, took a deep breath and tried his best to smile.
But Seaman obviously had no intention of chatting with him.
"Losing one, replenishing another, dying in battle, and getting a new one, it's always like this..." The man behind the mercenary looked at the wine glass that was about to bottom out, and murmured: "The fate of mercenaries, isn't it?"
Old Hammer shook his head, not in a high mood: "No, Seaman, Huaiya is not..."
But Seaman didn't let him continue.
"Come on, boy, it's time to hold a team meeting," the left-behind man waved his hand, put away his fleeting sadness, and hugged the old hammer: "Tell me all the details, and wait for Dean to come back...
I think Dante’s great sword will undergo a big turn in the near future.”
They left the bar.
Kuai Sheng's eyes moved: "Me too..."
"You stay here, Quick Rope," Old Hammer turned back and pointed: "Take good care of Huaiya, it's his first time here."
"But..." Kuaisheng spread his hands with an aggrieved look, while Thales, who was in embarrassment, smiled in return.
Watching Old Hammer and Ximan walking up the stone stairs, Kuai Rope arched his shoulders, retracted his half-stretched hand, sat back in his seat disappointedly, and whispered: "Okay..."
Thales couldn't think of anything to say to comfort this newbie who was not yet accepted by the core of the team. He could only sit there uncomfortably, silently thinking about the next step.
"Six?"
A hoarse voice came from the noisy tavern. Thales and Kuaishou raised their heads and saw the fierce-looking tavern owner wiping his wine glasses and arriving in front of them at some point.
His complexion is dark, and he looks like a local who has been baked by the scorching sun and wind.
"You know, after the blockade order was implemented, the number of troops that came in was beyond imagination... At that time, I was thinking, maybe someone has to learn a lesson..."
Quick Rope raised his mouth: "No, Tampa."
"Not now."
Thales frowned slightly, vaguely impressed by this name.
The tavern owner named Tampa snorted, but did not shut up: "You have ten experienced and fully armed professional killers, and a novice who at least looks like he can bluff people..."
Ignoring the sound of protest from the fast rope, Tampa wiped the wine glass faster and faster: "People who can survive in the desert are very smart. As long as Tomdin is willing to pay some tolls, the sand pirates and exiles will not bear such a heavy burden."
I will force you to eat you at a high price..."
Kuaisheng let out a painful breath and lay down on the bar as if resigned to his fate.
"We met the gray bastard, Tampa."
"Lots and lots of gray bastards."
Tampa's hand stopped wiping the wine glass.
A few seconds later, just when Thales thought he was going to say something, Tampa suddenly bent down. When he stood up again, there was a wine glass in front of the fast rope.
"Drink, the best Northland rye alcohol, obtained from the north," Tampa held up a bottle of wine and filled Quick Rope's glass with an expressionless expression:
"Trust me, this is the only way."
“It works great.”
Kuaisheng looked at the wine in front of him in surprise.
But just a second later, looking slightly depressed, he grabbed the wine glass and drank it in one gulp.
Just when Thales was trying to find an excuse to slip away, the tavern owner suddenly nuzzled at him.
"So, Quick Rope...who is this new pretty girl? Your girlfriend?"
Boom!
Kuaisheng put down his wine glass and coughed violently.