"That woman with green grass and glazed glass is probably... my ex, if I don't admit my mistake."
The summary of a busy day has not yet begun, but the criticism meeting surrounding Duan Qing has begun.
"Oh, that still sounds like a really sad story."
"You must have never heard of a sad story in one sentence, right..." Duan Qing smiled bitterly: "Anyway, due to some... well-known reasons, she and I were separated from each other some time ago. We just broke up, and I didn’t expect to meet her again in a place like this..."
"Well, is this the origin of the so-called plan C? Why did you suddenly become excited this time..." the smiling butcher said while holding his chin.
"Could it be that they were the ones I saw in Shuo Xinghua before? No wonder...wait, wait, wait!" The gossip-filled little girl jumped out first and shouted: "Uncle, you are not married yet. ?”
"Of course...no, do you have to shout it out so loudly?"
"Hehe, hehe..." The little girl didn't answer, but sat on the side again, looking at Duan Qing with a silly smile, while Xiao Hongchen on the other side looked like he suddenly realized: "I see. ! Sure enough, it’s the hatred of seizing his wife! Look at how close those two people are to each other, if it were me, I wouldn’t be able to bear it..."
"I can bear it." Duan Qing took a big gulp of water and wiped his still dry mouth: "The result is that you are eliminated."
"Hey, don't mention my matter. After all, we have already agreed..." Looking at the apologetic eyes of the other party, Xiao Hongchen waved his hands again and again, like a cooked hero, with a rosy face. Said: "It's you! Do we still want to go back and cause trouble for them and give you a sigh of relief?"
"Don't, don't, don't. We already made a lot of money in that battle just now. Before they came back to cause trouble for us, they were already burning incense and worshiping Buddha. If we fight again, we may not be able to win..."
"What are you afraid of! You are still not a man! Women have run away with others..."
"Hey, we broke up normally. We got together and parted easily. It's just a little sad to see each other again. If there's anything to be resentful about, let's just focus on..."
"No." The smiling uncle sitting aside suddenly opened his eyes: "Since you can recognize her, why doesn't she recognize you?"
"Well, she hasn't changed her appearance, so of course I can recognize her. If someone can pinch someone's face to make someone look like her, then I'll recognize it..."
"No, no, no, that's not the crux of the problem..." The smiling butcher looked at the other person, but did not say the next words.
"...Okay, this is not my real appearance." After understanding what the other party meant, Duan Qing had to admit the problem with his appearance: "This is not a big deal, right? Now I want to make myself a more handsome person. Thousands and thousands..."
"Of course it's not a big deal." The smiling butcher kept smiling: "I just want to know your true face...or, your true identity."
"You are so powerful, but you dare not show your true self to others. It shouldn't be because... you are afraid that you will meet your ex-girlfriend like today, right...?"
Duan Qing was silent.
"Okay, okay, I'm just... a little curious." Seeing that the other party really had no intention of explaining, the smiling butcher could only spread his hands: "When do you want to say it, we can discuss it again. ...Now, let’s settle Nina’s matter first.”
"That's right!" After this reminder, Mengzhu finally woke up. She looked in the direction of the small door behind the counter and said with some worry: "So many things happened suddenly, I don't know where to start discussing it. ..."
When they returned here before, Richard carried the frightened little girl into the lounge on the first floor of the Adventurers Association - that sloppy guy didn't usually clean up the room that he always occupied. place, but in this situation, no one can control so much.
"It seems that the backer our boss found is not very reliable, so the appearance of those city guards should be beyond his expectation." Duan Qing also came to his senses and naturally participated in the discussion: "Fortunately, we finally fished out Nina, otherwise, this last line would have been broken."
"Yeah, if Nina falls into their hands..."
"Hey, hey, hey, comrades, what are you talking about?" Xiao Hongchen, who was full of questions, interrupted and asked. The remaining three people looked at each other, and then they realized that there was another person here who didn't know the situation.
"You...forget it, just listen."
"The crux of the matter now is...we have to find a reason to come in."
"I think it's disgusting. Those Zicheng Guards don't look like good people. After this night, there may be nothing left at the scene. Then there will be no use for us to go there..."
"The man who looked like the captain once said that they were ordered by Mayor Rama... Maybe we can go find Rama!" The little girl suddenly said: "Right, Uncle Qingshan?"
She looked at the other party with a strange look, and the latter understood what he meant, so he nodded and said to the other three people: "We... still have some friendship with the mayor, maybe this is the way to go."
"It's getting late, you guys wait for us here and protect little Nina at the same time. Let's go to the town hall and find the Lord Rama they say." Standing up with Mengzhu, Duan Qing said to the other two people Said: "If everything goes well, this matter may be solved immediately."
"Then...we'll talk about her father."
******************
"You must not know about her father, right?"
Stepping into the dark night, Duan Qing and Mengzhu arrived at the second floor of the town hall. After practicing the staring skills with the fat guard captain for a long time, the mayor of Fenghua Town finally agreed to At this time of rest, meet the two of them.
The mayor's office is as magnificent as the appearance of the town hall. Although the room is not big, it is filled with all kinds of furniture and objects. White porcelain vases filled with unique flowers and plants of Fenghua Town are arranged in the corner near the window. Others, large and small, are fully framed. The calligraphy and painting were hung irregularly on the other wall, reflecting the beautiful yellow light under the light of the candlestick. There are also various exquisite decorations piled scatteredly on the wooden shelves next to the door, which not only decorate this luxurious room, but also reflect the transcendent taste of the owner of this room.
There were rumors that Mayor Rama was a noble. They had probably understood it when they had met him before, but now, Duan Qing and Duan Qing had a deeper understanding of this concept.
Behind the long brown wooden table in the middle, the mayor, who had met once on the street, took off the glasses on his eyes, wiped them casually with a white handkerchief, and then slowly He continued: "According to the city guard's investigation... Yasiqi seems to have some serious criminal suspicions."
"That must be a misunderstanding, sir." Duan Qing, who is well versed in certain communication modes, replied with a Shi Shiran expression: "We just came back from the Ankarat Mine, and we also brought... News from Nina’s father.”
"Oh?" The neatly dressed old man showed a very interested look on his face.
"I can confirm that he is a good father." Duan Qing thought for a moment and then said, "But he is dead."
There was a night breeze blowing in through the unclosed second-floor window. The old man looked in that direction, as if he wanted to see clearly the stars that were about to fill the night sky through the flying catkins outside the window. After a long time, he sighed softly: "That's it..."
"Poor Robin," he whispered.
"Maybe there was some... misunderstanding." Duan Qing continued to persuade tentatively: "But we also understand the difficulties of the City Guards. They have also been busy with training recently, and many things have changed. Didn’t figure it out..."
"Oh, I know everything about them." The old man scratched his head, and then looked at the two people in front of him: "Those orders were all given by me. I believe them, so..."
"There were reports before that Robin...oh no, Yaschi Albert is the leader of the bandit group that has been rampant in crime recently, and the evidence is...obvious."
"Well, I'm sorry. Although their investigation may be true, I don't think it has anything to do with the theft in his home, and it has nothing to do with little Nina..."
"Of course...it doesn't matter." Rama blinked: "Did I say they have anything to do with each other?"
Duan Qing was speechless for a moment.
"I don't know what happened in his house and how it is related to the facts I learned." Rama stroked his beard, seeming to clarify his thoughts at the same time: "But now there is a lot of evidence that... Yaschi is a criminal trying to destroy the peace of Fenghua Town, you two.”
"This is a felony."
"So, no matter who committed the theft, the City Guards must... control that place."
Duan Qing and Mengzhu looked at each other and saw deep worry in each other's eyes.
"Does this also include...little Nina?" After a while, the little girl asked cautiously.
"Well... of course." The old man hesitated for a moment, then nodded: "Although she is still young, it should have nothing to do with her at this time, but even if it is for her safety..."
"I don't think those city guards can ensure her safety." Duan Qing suddenly interrupted: "And according to general practice, Nina's safety...or responsibility should be ensured by her person in charge. Right?"
"This is natural, but she has no one in charge now..." Rama's eyes closed.
"She should be an orphan now, we know." Duan Qing continued. But the little girl who had been with him for a long time could find that his tone had regained some confidence: "But...she did not join any orphan care organization, and no one took her in, but she once... .The Adventurers Association has been entrusted with her and has taken care of her for a long time.”
A smile appeared on his face: "Our Fool Adventure Group has also accepted such a commission."
The old man's eyes opened a crack.
"And you're a witness."
The old man's mouth twitched.
"So I think, under such circumstances, is it...reasonable to leave little Nina to us?"
"I have some knowledge of Yasiqi's family, so I think... this matter should be handled by me..."
"Of course, it's up to you to handle it. We have no objection." With one hand on his chest, Duan Qing made a courtesy to the mayor behind the desk: "My teammates and I will take good care of little Nina in the Adventurers Association. , and at the same time...waiting for your fair processing results."
"And... hopefully soon." He winked.
"Huh..." The old man put down the document in his hand and leaned back on the chair with both hands. Those somewhat cloudy eyes looked at the hanging candle on the ceiling for a while, and then slowly said: "Let me explain in advance, Yasiqi's matter... is very complicated."
"It may take a long time to figure this out. And the most important thing is..."
"You must also know the current internal affairs of the principality. Yasiqi's matter has been rumored in the town before. Many townspeople have their own opinions on this matter. So... even if I think Nina’s father is innocent, and they probably don’t think so either.”
Rama put the glasses he had put down back on the bridge of his nose, then raised his head and looked at the two adventurers in front of him: "So, if you want to protect the safety of little Nina... your task is very important. .”
Duan Qing looked at the old man who still maintained an aristocratic smile, and after a while he nodded.
"Also, since Nina is with you, then..." the old man raised his glasses with his hand: "If there is anything I need to ask, I will send someone to find you, so... During this period of time, you'd better not..."
He took out a document from the pile next to him: "Running around."
"......we know."
"Well, if there's nothing else... would you like to have dinner together later, friends of Master Gustan?"
"We won't interrupt your work, Mr. Mayor."
Duan Qing signaled to Mengzhu, who quickly nodded and saluted the old man: "We say goodbye."
It wasn't until the two of them walked out of the town hall that the little girl's excited voice rang out: "The mayor finally agreed, okay okay..."
"No, I think things... are getting serious."
Frowning tightly, Duan Qing led Mengzhu towards the Adventurers Association.
"What's wrong? Isn't everything going smoothly?"
"Can't you see this?" In the still cool night wind, Duan Qing's voice became a little fluttering: "The hidden meaning of Rama's words... is that there are people in this town who don't want to see As for little Nina, they... want to do something bad to her."
"Ah? Why? Nina is so young, she must be innocent..."
"We all know, Rama must also know, so..." Duan Qing's voice became deeper: "There should be something in this, we don't know yet, this is our mayor... ...The reason why they don’t want us to get involved in this matter.”
"In his heart... he wanted to take Nina into his own hands."
"What!" Mengzhu was shocked: "Did that old man..."
"A pedophile?......Ugh!"
"What are you thinking about?" The sound of pain when her head was hit spread into the night sky. The little girl covered her head and looked at the man who was still walking with tears in her eyes. The latter took back his fingers and nodded. He said without replying: "Although I don't know how much that old man knows, but... he definitely knows more than we know."
"Well what does that mean......"
"Do you have any idea of the hostility shown by the townspeople towards little Nina?"
"Uh, I don't know..."
"Of course people who don't take little Nina out will not know. Because...that little girl hardly goes out. A person who doesn't appear in front of other people, how many people know about her, and how many people know about her. Does anyone know how other people treat her?"
"If you say that, I will feel guilty..." The little girl lowered her head in embarrassment.
"But he knew."
"Ah?" The little girl didn't react for a moment.
"I have reason to believe that our mayor has been paying close attention to that little girl who is almost isolated from the world, for... some unknown purpose."
"This can also explain why the city guard showed up so quickly for a mere theft... They almost caught up with us."
Looking at the scene ahead, the man with a deep voice suddenly stopped. The little girl who didn't notice accidentally bumped into Duan Qing's back and stopped holding her nose with an "ah" sound.
"Just say what you say, don't brake suddenly... Huh? What's going on..."
"What a...dark day."
In the darkness, the two of them stood in front of the two-story building of the Adventurers Association, looking at the dozen or so shadowy figures surrounding the dilapidated old door.
Several of them seemed to have noticed the situation here, and shouted to their companions behind them. A man sitting on the steps at the door suddenly stood up, then took three steps and two steps at a time, and rushed to their side in an instant. before.
"Are you Mo Shang Qingshan?" he asked impatiently.
