Rhodes felt that he hadn't done anything serious in the past two days, so he was dedicated to being a tour guide.

In the face of Li's request, Rod should not have agreed, but he didn't know what kind of psychology Lu Dao had, he nodded and agreed after thinking for a while. Then, the two of them sneaked out of the palace and set off towards Darkster. Rod didn't take Derak and the others to visit there before, because most of Derranke and the others are adults, and this kind of thing has long been commonplace, and it won't change anything if they show them. But with a kid like Leigh, the situation is very different. However, to be on the safe side, Rhodes also brought another person with him.

"Commander, where are we going? Who is this girl? ”

Annie, who was quietly rescued by Rhodes from Marlene's "etiquette hell", was staring curiously at the girl who was following Rod at this time, and the girl at the moment did not hide her curiosity and excitement, no wonder, Marlene's etiquette education is not something that ordinary people can withstand, and she is strict in nature and even requires the etiquette posture to be accurate to the centimeter, which is also the reason why Rod made excuses to slip away without looking back immediately after seeing Lijie and Anne suffering. In the game, the player salutes the NPC, which is more of a sense of bringing in the game and pretending to be cold and noble to play, who will be bored to really learn what aristocratic etiquette, of course, you have to say that you can get secret assistance by making precise gestures like the Dark Brotherhood......... That's another story.

And Anne's experience is even more pitiful, I'm afraid Marlene has long seen that it is impossible to learn any aristocratic etiquette with Anne's lively and jumping personality, so she simply gave Anne a cramming education and asked her to do a thousand times of audience etiquette practice today! According to Marlene's idea, since you can't remember it in your head, let your body remember it instinctively!

This made Anne miserable. One can imagine how painful this always lively girl must have been in the face of a thousand complicated etiquette trainings, so when Rhodes came to her, Anne was as excited as if she had escaped death from a concentration camp, and almost treated Rhodes as her savior.

"Her name is Leigh, and she's from here. This lady wants to visit the slums, so that's why I've called you to protect her, and I think you know what to do, Anne. ”

"What kind of place?"

Although Anne didn't understand the meaning of "slum", Rhodes's succinct statement made her quickly understand the meaning, for mercenaries, most of them lived at the lowest level, and they had no less dealings with people in the slums. Thinking of this, Rod couldn't help but shake his head slightly. Thinking about it carefully, it seems that there has never been such an innocent lady around me who doesn't know the suffering of the world. Labis, Anne and Lizzie were all mercenaries, so they knew everything about it. Not to mention Christie, when it comes to the dark side of the world, she probably understands it more than anyone else, but even so, she can still maintain her good nature. This also shows the strength of the girl. And Clark, a rich lady, also tasted the warmth and coldness of the world after being abducted by a heretic once. Something is starting to change. But Lily in front of her is different from them, if you want to use an analogy, then Rhodes feels that this girl is like a flower cultivated in a sterile greenhouse, surrounded by glass walls and comfortable temperatures, fertile soil, and living in a comfortable environment since childhood. She had not felt the dry, barren soil, the cold winds, the scorching sun, or the storms, which seemed to be completely absent to the girl in her world. And what's even worse is that. She didn't think any of these things existed in this world.

Hearing Rod's words, Anne's eyes widened and she looked at the girl beside her.

"What are you going to do in that kind of place? It's very dangerous there, and a cute girl like you might be taken away and sold in the blink of an eye. ”

"Huh?"

Hearing Anne's words, the girl's face turned pale, but she still mustered up her courage, raised her head, and looked at Anne with a somewhat trembling voice.

"But......... Miss Anne, don't you ......... too."

"Ah, just call Anne Anne, don't call Miss, Anne feels itchy and uncomfortable when she hears the word Miss."

“………… Ah, I'm sorry, but don't you ............... Annie Will you go there? ”

"That's right."

Hearing Leigh's inquiry, Anne shrugged her shoulders.

"Anne was in the mercenary group in the past, but she didn't go to that kind of place with the head of the regiment, it was dirty, poor and messy, and there were many times when someone wanted to take Anne away. Hey, hey, hey, but where are those guys Annie's opponents, Annie just waved it, and those guys scared away! Hahaha, that's interesting. ”

"But ............"

Hearing Anne's words, Lee frowned, seeming a little dissatisfied.

"Those people are pitiful........."

Of course, Anne knows that they are pitiful, but what does it have to do with whether they are pitiful or not? They want to trouble Anne, but they are not right! ”

“………………………”

Looking at Anne behind her, who was waving her little fist confidently, and Li, who opened her mouth and looked at her speechlessly, Rod couldn't help but laugh secretly in his heart......... The duo looks like they're in the right place. In a way, Anne is actually a child, but a child who has seen a lot of the world. Anne, on the other hand, was different. The average person's personality changes to a greater or lesser extent after experiencing so many things that Anne faced. The old leader who raised her died, and the original mercenary group was torn apart for power, and Anne, who was the adopted daughter of the old leader, was also involved. If ordinary people encounter such a situation, then more or less will change. But Anne is different, she chose to leave very decisively, but this is not because of sacrificing herself to maintain the stability and unity of the mercenary group, but simply because she doesn't like the atmosphere of competing for power in the mercenary group now. Because of this, every choice Anne makes is based on her own mood, and basically does not consider what others are thinking or what others think of her. From this point of view. Anne is indeed still a child.

That's why Rod chose to bring her.

Marlene is a theorist, and Lijie is a soft, but their reasoning doesn't make sense for a kid like Leigh. Rhodes is well aware of this, everyone grows up from this stage of the child, just think about it. Most children rarely listen to adults when they are young, and they define the tone of a thing more often by what they like and what they don't like. Naturally, the same is true for children like Leigh. Although bringing Marlene and Lijie can also take care of Li, but the two sides are too different after all, and Annie ——— say something unpleasant, and the thinking circuits of these two people are quite consistent in some ways.

Dalxter.

As yesterday, Rhodes and the other three walked down the street without attracting much attention, this is where civilians live, and the crowd on the street is either busy with work. Either that, or they are buying and selling, and no one pays much attention to them. Only Rod's "beauty" and Anne's pretty and wonderful figure and the huge gold shield behind her attracted the attention of some people, but they only turned their heads curiously as they passed by, and quickly turned back and went on with their own business.

Only Li, the little girl, leaned against Lijie's side, wrapped herself in a white cloak, and looked around curiously. Rod even saw a little disapproving expression on the girl's face, obviously. The scene in front of him was a little different from what Rod said, but Rod didn't care. Of course, he knows why he chose this place, as the saying goes, there is no one who knows you better than your enemies, Rhodes leads the player to fight to the death in the country of light in the game, and he can feel a few bricks on the streets of Casablanca, of course he knows what to do to make the flowers in this greenhouse suffer the greatest impact.

"This is it."

Walk around the corner. Rod stopped, turned his head and said to Leigh behind him.

"Here?"

Hearing Rod's words, the girl's face flashed with dissatisfaction and curiosity, and she walked around the corner of the street, looking forward in disbelief——— and then. The girl froze in place.

Different from the white, neat and clean streets that everyone had passed through before, what appeared in front of them at this moment was a pitch black, muddy slope, rows of shabby, shabby, haphazard houses made of straw and wood stretched down the ramp in a row, there was no smooth road on the ground, only the snow and muddy mud pond that had been trampled into black, and from time to time you could see some people in tattered clothes, even unclothed, standing trembling in the cold wind, they curled up in the corners, His eyes stared blankly at the sky.

"This, here's ....................."

Looking at the scene in front of her, Li opened her mouth, but she couldn't even say half a sentence. She subconsciously stepped back and looked at the other side of the street, where the smooth, clean and tidy roads and the scattered houses looked unusually dazzling in the sunlight. But right here, just a bend, the world has completely changed into a different appearance, light and shadow, just one step away.

"This, how could it be, how could it be ..............."

The girl stood still, she couldn't accept it, I am afraid it is not only the tragic scene in front of her, but also the attitude of the crowd in front of her. Just on the other side of the street, people live their lives, they are calm, happy and busy. Everyone walked down the street, but they were blind to the dark area that was only separated by a wall, as if all they saw was an illusion, that there was nothing here. Not only that, but it is clear that no one wants to approach this place, and they don't even look at it as if it were some dark, filthy and evil place.

"Alright, Li, this is just the beginning, and then it's dinner, Annie, protect her."

"Understood, Captain!"

Hearing Rod's words, Anne nodded quickly, and then she took off the Adamantite Heavy Shield from behind her, only to hear the sound of the machine, and soon saw countless sharp barbs flying out of both sides of the Adamantite Heavy Shield, and Anne just held the Adamantite Heavy Shield in one hand and winked at Li on the other.

"Alright, come on, Anne will protect you, don't leave Anne?"

"Yes, is it necessary?"

See Anne's movements. Li couldn't help but be startled, she looked at the people huddled in the dark corners, her eyes full of sympathy and pain.

"He, they're just a bunch of poor people, there's no need to ..............."

"There will be pity for those who hate them, Leigh. It's not just people who look vicious with a meaty face that are badas. Do you know what the people there are reluctant to approach here, or even to look at here? ”

With that, Rhodes reached out and pointed to the happy and calm street not far behind them.

"For what?"

"Because it's a gathering place for thieves, robbers and prostitutes."

Rod raised his head and squinted at the place in front of him, his tone full of indifference.

"The thieves would steal their belongings when they were not at home, and at night the armed robbers would sneak into the shadows of the streets and rob them. And the greased and whitewashed prostitutes will stand on the streets. Seduce every man they can see, and for the inhabitants of the place, it is not a wretched man, but a bunch of criminals. You can go and ask, if you can, they and even this place and the people who live here disappear completely. ”

"But ..............."

Hearing Rod's words, Li frowned, a look of dissatisfaction.

"You said that, Mr. Rhodes. It's a wretched bunch, and they're residents of this place. Why can't those people help them..............."

"Help?"

Hearing Leigh's inquiry, Rod chuckled scoffingly. Then he lifted his chin and pointed ahead.

"Do you know how many people there are here? Leigh? A few hundred? Thousands? Tens of thousands? How can we help them? Don't forget, the people behind us who live in clean and tidy houses are just ordinary people, who don't have the power of the nobility. They don't have the wealth of businessmen, they are struggling to support themselves and their families just to be able to work, where do you think they have the extra energy to care about these guys who are not related to them, but also rob and steal their wealth? ”

"But. Isn't the council just for ..............."

Rod didn't finish listening to Leigh, he just waved his hand and walked inside. Seeing Rhodes walk away, Li also had to close her mouth and follow him closely, into this dark, corridor-like passage to hell.

The mud beneath his feet made an ugly noise under the trampling of expensive buckskin boots. Although it was winter, you could vaguely smell the stench coming from all directions, and in this dark, ugly and death-filled environment, the brightly dressed Rhodes and others naturally attracted everyone's attention. Although they were all cloaked in cloaks that concealed the richness of the garments within, the mere well-made cloaks and coats were enough to attract attention in places where even coarse linen clothes could not be worn.

The more they went inside, the more Rod and the others could feel the more and more malicious eyes, but the deterrent effect of the adamantite heavy shield wielded in Annie's hand was obvious, and almost all people with bad intentions, as long as they saw the adamantite heavy shield in Annie's hand, they would immediately dispel their ghost ideas.

Li looked at the scene in front of her with a solemn face, and Rod did not intend to cover her mouth and nose, but let the girl watch everything in front of her.

In the dark street, the drunk man who was drunk and yelling, and then soon several hooligans rushed over and knocked him to the ground, and for a while the screams and screams rang out, and Li Da frowned, but the people around him seemed to be used to this, and after that, the drunk man was crushed to the ground like this, and then I saw a hooligan pick up a stone from the side and slam it on his head.

"Bang!!"

There was a heavy crash, and the drunk man twitched, and there was no more sound. And not far from him, a scantily clad woman was being pressed against the wall by a man and snorting happily, and the moment the drunk man fell, they didn't even look at the unlucky inch, but still mingled with each other, enjoying a brief pleasure. The hooligans sneered and searched all the contents of the drunken man's body, and even his dirty coat was snatched away, leaving only a naked corpse lying in the muddy alley. Seeing this scene, Li couldn't help but scream.

"Mr. Rhodes, they, they killed!"

"I see it."

Hearing Leigh's shout, Rhodes glanced around, then withdrew his gaze. And see his performance. Leigh looked even more anxious.

"Quick, call the city guards, those murderers............ They ........."

"The City Guard won't take care of it, they never come here."

Rod withdrew his gaze and continued inside.

"For them, it's better for people here to kill each other. It's better to be dead. ”

"How could it be .....................?"

Li lowered her head depressedly and looked silently at the ground at her feet, and at this moment, suddenly, a dirty child ran over from the side, and he came to Rod and the others, showing a smile. Then he stretched out his dirty, black mud-stained hand.

"Honorable young lady. Give us some money, I'm so poor that I can't even eat, I beg you, as long as I have a silver coin, I can live, kind old man..............."

"Ah, please wait."

Hearing the child's words, Lee hurriedly reached out. He took a money bag from his bosom and untied it. And just as she stretched out her hand to take out the money, suddenly, the child's face was hideous, and his left hand, which was originally empty, had an extra dagger at some point, and then he pounced on Li!

"Get out of here!"

And at this moment, Anne shouted angrily. Then the girl waved the adamantite shield in her hand vigorously, blocking in front of Li, and knocking the child out of the air, only to see the ragged imp roll on the ground a few times before stopping, but he quickly got up again. Stared at Anne viciously. But in the face of his gaze, Anne was obviously not afraid, she met the vicious eyes of the other party without fear, and at the same time waved the pure gold heavy shield in her hand.

"Under Annie's protection, don't think about it, if you don't leave, be careful that Annie smashes you into meat sauce!"

"Cut, slut!!"

Hearing Anne's answer, the little boy spat at the foam and disappeared into the dark alley.

He ............ He ..............."

Li stared blankly at the scene in front of her, unable to believe her eyes anyway. When the boy took out the dagger just now, the girl was really frightened, he looked even smaller than himself, but when he swung the dagger and pounced on him, Li even felt that what was in front of her was not a human at all, but a fierce beast!! If it weren't for Anne knocking the other party away in time.........

"What is he doing for him............ I've promised to give him money........."

Looking at the boy's vanished back, Li couldn't understand it. Anne, who was standing next to her, pouted.

"You're so stupid, he didn't plan to ask for money at all, Anne has seen it many times, and this group of people is pretending to ask for money, just to see you take out the money bags, and then you can take advantage of the opportunity to rob! What's the use of you giving him a gold coin or two? They're done spending the money, and they're not going to stay in this hellish place? Only a large sum of money will be able to get them out of here. Hmph, but those little ghosts are also stupid, even if he really grabs your money, Anne can guarantee that he will not live for two hours, so many people are watching, and without Anne's protection, he can leave this ghost place safely and soundly. ”

“………………………”

I don't know what Lu Dao is for, when she heard Anne say "Holy Soul Blessing", Leigh's face became extremely complicated, she opened her mouth to say something, but after the last time, Li still closed her mouth.

Everyone continued to move forward, but this dark ramp seemed to never end, the more they went inside, the more ugly Li's face became, the little face that was originally a little pale because of the cold, at this time it was almost extremely iron, she almost leaned on Anne's side, if it wasn't for Anne supporting her, I'm afraid the girl would have collapsed directly to the ground.

Rhodes stopped, this is a small square, which is also a market in this slum, where you can see those humble vendors and many poor people in ragged clothes, they gather around this clearing, staring at Rhodes and others in front of them, and in their eyes, you can see hostility, hatred, disdain, and panic. Rhodes could understand, after all, this place was not usually visited by nobles.

"Mr. Rhodes, who are they ...............?"

Looking at this scene in front of her, Li's expression had become dazed, and she stared at all this in front of her, unable to say a word.

"They are losers, losers who have been outcast by this society. I think you can see that. Lilly, many of them don't belong here, and in order to live a better life, they left their hometown and came to Casablanca to try to expand their new life here. However, they failed. They can't find a job, they don't have anyone to hire them, they are abandoned by the city, they can only gather here like this, and live one day at a time. ”

"So, why don't they leave?"

"Leave?"

This time, it wasn't Rhodes who answered Li, but an old man sitting not far from them. Hearing Li's inquiry, the old man sneered, raised his head, and looked at the girl in front of him.

"You think we don't want to leave? Miss? But how do we get out of here? Do you know how much work it took us to get to this city in the first place? Some have sold all their possessions, others have made the trek, giving up everything and coming to the city in order to live the life they hope they wanted. But. This bitch-bitched Casablanca is a demon who eats people and doesn't spit out bones!! ”

said. The old man stretched out his hand and pointed at himself with a trembling voice.

"Look at me, my leg was broken, and after that, no one wanted me and my home was gone. Those conglomerates and politicians colluded and took everything from me! I hate my stupidity, how could I have believed that this was a great and beautiful city? Ha, what do those politicians have to say? Casablanca is a paradise that humans have taken from the dragon soul of light, and built by humans themselves! Everyone is welcome here with equality and freedom! This is simply a lie! Those politicians don't care about our interests at all. They're just for themselves! ”

Saying this, the old man smiled a little wryly.

"I remember that once upon a time, there was a politician who came here and brought a few people out of the country, claiming that he was a companion to the poor and that he would help us stay away from poverty! But then what? After the election, those people were thrown back here like garbage! That son of a bitch politician didn't care about our lives at all, he just used us as a bargaining chip for his campaign, showing his kindness and love to those voters! When he succeeds in the election, we garbage will be of no use. Anyway, neither the politicians, nor the aristocrats, nor the others, care about us, nor do they care whether we live or die!! ”

Saying this, the old man let out a violent cough, then he spat out the pitch-black blood, raised his head, looked at the girl in front of him, and waved his hand weakly.

"Let's go, miss, this is not the place for you people. Like the guy next to you said, we're all losers, hehe, we're worthless here. Although the Council of Light claims to help us, they are just a bunch of liars, and those politicians are busy talking to those big bosses and big chambers of commerce every day, how can they care about us people? We can't get them votes, we can't give them fame and status. ”

"But isn't the Council of Light supposed to protect everyone? For the equality, freedom and happiness of all........."

"Haha, until now, only a child like you would believe this kind of nonsense."

The old man interrupted Lily's question with a smile.

"They're only for themselves, and other than that, they don't care about anyone. As long as they have power, status and wealth, how can they care about those things? ”

Saying this, the old man lowered his head.

"Let's go, miss, this is not your place, nor is it our place, we are here, after all, we are only outsiders......... It's not the master here, and it's not our turn to be the master. Hehe, it's not just us, you look at the distance, elves, dwarves, no race will like this city, this country. ”

“………… Thank you, old man. ”

Hearing the old man's words, Li was silent for a moment, then she spoke, and then she reached out and took out a few gold coins.

"This............ Please take it to ..............."

"It's useless for me to ask for these things."

Looking at the gold coin in the girl's hand, the old man smiled bitterly and waved his hand.

"Here, money is the root of all evil, I'm old, I don't dare to take the money you gave me, maybe when you leave, I can't even see the moon tonight, you better go..............."

When Rod and the others returned to the palace, it was already dusk. After leaving Darkster, Leigh had been at a loss, and her originally agile eyes seemed to have been soaked in black ink, losing their original brilliance and becoming dim and dim.

"Today............ Thank you, Mr. Rhodes. ”

Standing in the garden, where the two first met, at this moment, Li had lost her previous agility, and looking at the girl's appearance, she knew that she had suffered a very heavy blow.

"I never knew the way......... I have always thought that the Council of Light exists for the happiness and freedom of all people, and everything they do is to make the people of this country better, because only human beings can change humanity.................. I've always thought that light, just because it's light, can only be watched quietly, and the light shines on everyone, and it won't change because of each other's nature......... So, quietly watching, waiting............... their own decisions. ”

With that, Li lowered her head.

"But now......... I think............... Is this really correct? Mr. Rhodes? ”

"It's not a question I can answer."

Rhodes shrugged his shoulders at Leigh's inquiry, then he looked up and looked at the horizon.

"But I can tell you a story, Leigh, a story of the north wind and the sun."

"North wind and sun?"

Hearing this, Li looked up at Rod curiously, and Rod nodded.

"The north wind and the sun were going to see who had the most strength, so they chose a traveler, and whoever could make the traveler take off his cloak would be considered victorious. The north wind blew hard, but the traveler did not take off his cloak under the fierce wind, but wrapped it tighter. Then came the sun, which did not say much, but warmly shone on the traveler with its own rays, and it was not long before the traveler took off his cloak because of the sweltering heat........."

Saying this, Rod shrugged his shoulders.

"That is to say, if the north wind keeps blowing and the sun does not appear, then the traveler will not take off his cloak."

“………………………… Thank you, Mr. Rod. ”

Hearing Rod's words, a complicated expression appeared on Lil's face, and she was silent for a moment, then nodded to Rod.

"Today............ I've learned a lot of things that no one has ever taught me before, thank you so much...... So, I'll take my leave. ”

After saying this, the girl turned her head, and soon, her petite figure disappeared into the depths of the bushes in the garden, and watching the girl's back disappear, Rod slightly curled the corners of his mouth and replied in a low voice.

“………… You're welcome. ”

With that, Rod turned around and looked at Casablanca in front of him again.

As the sun sets, the bright red glow reflects on the white city, covering it with a vivid layer of red, as if it has been swallowed by flames. Looking at the scene in front of him, Rod narrowed his eyes, and a cold smile flashed in his eyes.

“………… Since they are all used, then I should be used, Your Majesty. ”

Then, he muttered to himself. (To be continued.) For mobile phone users, please go to read. )