Mantis stalks cicada
The Mercenary Guild in Bronze City has solid walls, but its interior is not very large, with only the space of two classrooms put together.
Except for a short wall with a table and chairs where four people checked the orders and other matters, the remaining three walls were all covered with densely packed order forms at a height that an adult could reach.
As for the higher walls, they are crowded with other exhibits of the guild, such as replicas of the city lord's commendation certificates and some banners, etc., which appear to be full of practicality.
A candlestick-shaped iron rack standing in the center of the Mercenary Union Hall is filled with verified orders.
Occasionally, a mercenary would walk up to the iron frame carrying a cloth bag containing his reward in one hand and a commission with the union seal on it in the other. He would press the piece of paper that had completed its mission onto the end of the half-person-high iron frame, allowing it to be pierced and fixed in sight of others, becoming part of his own achievement.
When Xiaoman and Sumei walked into the hall, they surprisingly did not attract much attention, and there was no one coming to provoke them.
Perhaps mercenaries who deal with all kinds of people understand best how to restrain their own thoughts and avoid provoking the "weak". The mercenaries who make a living in Bronze City are more open-minded than their counterparts who Xiaoman met in the villages and towns he passed through during his travels.
Since no one came forward, the two of them walked to the wall and, as they had agreed, searched for the most recent missing person request among the stacked requests on the wall.
Suddenly, someone gently pulled the corner of Xiaoman's clothes.
There were always about thirty or forty people coming and going in the hall of the Mercenaries' Union, so Xiaoman quickly got used to the people passing by him from time to time.
Xiaoman turned around in response to the timid greeting, a hint of pink reflected in his blue eyes.
The pink-haired young woman approaching Xiaoman had a very pure, beautiful and lovable delicate face.
She had fair skin, delicate fingers, a slightly thin figure, and was wearing a relatively simple but neat and elegant dress. She looked like the daughter of a family that had some wealth to raise a child carefully.
The curly pink hair was braided into a plain braid, tied from the temples to the back of the head, restraining the remaining long hair that fell on the shoulders. The style was dignified and lovely, making her look like a princess who had fallen into the common people.
"Please... please accept my commission." The pink-haired woman met Xiaoman's gaze. She was a few years older than the other two men, but slightly shorter than the tall and thin Xiaoman. She was just the normal height for women, which was more suitable for her to emphasize her disadvantaged position.
"But I haven't registered as a mercenary yet. What do you want to commission?" Xiaoman asked.
"I think, sorry, uh... I want to ask you to help me find my brother." The woman choked with sobs and her eyes turned red. "I sold all my jewelry, but I still don't have enough money to pay the reward and the union's handling fee. I can only take a risk and try my luck..."
She looked so sad and pitiful that Xiaoman hesitated.
Su Mei was just a few steps away. He walked over, looked at the stranger, and asked:
"When did the person go missing? We want to hear the details."
The white-haired, golden-eyed boy's face was full of gentleness and concern, but his posture slightly separated her and Xiaoman.
Based on her pink curly hair, Yuan Qian bet D-009's reputation that she must be related to the young man at the end of the last comic update.
It is certainly a good thing if the other party takes the initiative to approach you, especially since the other party may be a core figure in the gang with an absolutely high status.
Here, Su Mei pretended to be oblivious and dragged Xiao Man along to buy time, while the newly appeared businessman Mr. Winchester had been wandering around the city, claiming to be sightseeing but actually waiting for the right opportunity. He was taking this opportunity to quickly approach the area near the Mercenaries' Guild.
The pink-haired woman who introduced herself as "Effie" was completely unaware that her identity had been exposed and continued to play the role she had made up.
She herself was involved in the industry behind the scenes, and the information she gave Xiaoman was of course perfectly consistent because it was true. According to her, she and her brother were raised by their widowed mother. Their mother passed away some time ago, and their ten-year-old brother Charlie was accidentally lost in the chaos.
A young child, delicate looks, no elders to look after him, and an unexpected disappearance, all of the above conditions are very similar to the previous incident that happened to Xiaoman.
"We can indeed try our best to help you find it, but many days have passed, and maybe Charlie has already..." Su Mei looked as if she wanted to say something but stopped.
"It doesn't matter, as long as someone is willing to help!"
Effie spoke quickly, looking as anxious as an ordinary girl who was helpless and afraid that the help she had finally found would run away.
Afterwards, the three of them decided to spread out from Effie's house to ask if anyone had seen Charlie. During the process, Xiaoman actually noticed that her companion was a little absent-minded, but she didn't show it.
They took Effie back to her home near the Mercenaries' Union, said goodbye and went back to the hotel.
After watching the wolf-eared, gray-black-haired girl and the white-haired fox boy walk away from the window, Effie slowly walked down the stairs.
Unexpectedly, yet not quite unexpectedly, she saw a figure wrapped in an embroidered cloak on the street corner.
"Good afternoon, Mr. Winchester. What a coincidence! It is a great pleasure to see you here."
Effie lifted the hem of her skirt and saluted him gracefully. Her tone had changed from that of a common girl who had just spoken in a somewhat restrained and confused manner to an exceptionally elegant and slightly playful tone.
"good afternoon."
The businessman stopped in front of her, raised his hands to his chest and leaned forward slightly.
"You are still so secretive, not even willing to let a bit of your skin or even your hair come into contact with the outside air. Even if only I can see you?"
She said with feigned curiosity, her eyes lingering around Winchester's collar and wrists.
"That's why I can't do that, precisely because I'm in front of you."
Winchester chuckled.
"In front of a dangerous predator who is used to disguising himself with beauty, a boring businessman like me can only think about protecting myself."
Effie laughed at his words.
She was so delighted that the corners of her eyebrows and eyes, which had previously pretended to be youthful and sad, relaxed, and immediately exuded a moving charm.
"Oh, I thought you didn't remember me."
"——After all, with the wealth under the name of 'Winchester', even the princess of the Holy City, who holds the right to sign the mining agreement, wants to win your favor, right?"
As if frightened by the sinister nature behind the smile, Winchester stepped back slightly and said, "You're flattered."
"Let me tell you my name, and I'll let you go, or I'll accompany you to visit the Seventh City, or... I'll give you evidence of my dear brother's bad deeds. All of that is fine."
She was all smiles.
Winchester paused, then, through the shadow of the mask and cloak, gave the answer to the expectant villain:
"...Eliritna Flora."
The elder sister of the third heir of this Bronze City, and the current lord of the sixth city.
No one knew that Yuan Qian was completely gambling. Before that, when Winchester pretended to casually look around the office of the Chamber of Commerce president, he was actually writing down all the signatures and seals that could be seen on all the documents and exhibits.
The worldview revealed in the comic "The Incomplete" is still shallow, and the known data does not include the names of the owners of the seven cities. D-009 does not sell this information, so he can only collect it on his own.
If the Seventh City and the Sixth City were not related by marriage, the name of this Lord Flora would not necessarily appear in the office of the Jino City Chamber of Commerce.
It is known that the seventh city is the city of casting, and the sixth city is known as "competitive skills and flowers", so Yuan Qian made some conventional associations based on the reader's experience:
Flowers and the color pink are of course often associated. So this female character has the same pink curly hair as the noble youth in the comics, and she is not a simple girl at first glance. Her self-proclaimed name Effie also has something in common with Elly Ratna... She has taken the initiative to approach the protagonist of the comics, so why can't the noble Lord of Flora leave the sealed land and star in the prank here in person?
Ellyretna Flora smiled happily, but then the smile quickly faded away. A solemn look of indifference appeared on this beautiful face that was still a long way from aging.
"Since you remember, in return, I will not pursue the matter of Winchester leaving Dinos City without permission. I will pretend that I didn't know you were here, and no one who knows me has appeared here today. - There will be a truck carrying engineering materials leaving the city late tomorrow night, and the guards will relax their inspections."
"Whether you want to return or take action to stop Mansa, do it then. I will help him erase all traces and take this industry out of his hands. ... No matter how stupid and evil he is, I am his biological sister after all."
"Besides, as long as I have this identity, no one will believe that I am innocent. I can only bear the consequences of his mistakes together with him."
Saying this, Elliretna turned and walked up the stairs.
Winchester reached out and grasped the edge of the awning, then returned to the car in silence.
The driver took the important customer back to his residence. During this time, Yuan Qian looked up the dialogue at the end of the previous chapter of the comic and read it again.
...Eliritna Flora. Is her true self the image she always wants to establish as "the helpless sister who can't stop her relatives from doing what they want and can only cover up for them"? Or is she the mastermind who subjectively participated in these dirty industries for the sake of profit, lured her brother to stand in front of the stage and become a target who he himself thought was the mastermind, and then abandoned him directly after using him up?
Yuan Qian thought it was the latter. He had no brothers or sisters, but that did not prevent him from understanding the family food chain that had existed since ancient times.
For a sister like Elliotta who holds great power, if she really wants to take charge, can there be any younger siblings who cannot control her?
At this age, she has ascended to the position of mayor of one of the seven cities. If she can't even deal with the greedy younger brother of the heir next door who is planning a human trafficking business, those who lost in the power struggle will die with regrets.
In that case, it's good that you came. He thought. Finally, a person of high status and importance involved in this matter has appeared, and the character background arranged for Su Mei will be planted on you.
The young fox boy smiled synchronously, and then he asked Xiaoman: "What do you want to eat tonight?"
"The innkeeper just said there's some soup left." Xiao Man thought, "You seem to be wary of Effie. Have you noticed something wrong with her?"
"A little bit. She came at the right time." Su Mei said frankly, "And if someone really kidnapped her brother, why is she still fine? The ones who were taken away before were two brothers, and the elder brother was about the same age as us."
The weak young woman played by Elly Ratna was obviously not as easy to catch as the boy who was almost as tall as an adult. It would be a big mistake if the kidnapper let her go. Xiaoman also thought of this and pondered for a moment.
She mentioned her talent: "Actually, I also think that what she said is not entirely true. But many people are like this. Maybe she just wants to spend less money, or she concealed some reasons for losing her brother, so she tried to shirk her responsibility in the content of her words."
"Should we still accept this commission?" Su Mei asked, supporting her cheek with her knuckles as if thinking.
"I want to take it." Xiao Man said, "I'll take this opportunity to take a final look around Bronze City, and then it's time to leave."
"Yeah... This place is big, but there's nothing special about it. We've seen the old factory facilities and local buildings on display, and we've tried the local specialties. It's time to leave."
Su Mei said this while looking out the window at the gradually approaching dusk. The silhouettes of tall buildings against the sky came into his eyes, subtly dissolving and deforming in the golden ocean, and finally being stretched into something like dry bushes and branches that had existed in the quiet wilderness for a long time.
Xiaoman suddenly remembered that Sumei had said when they met that he was coming to Bronze City, but he never told her where his next stop would be.
"Fu... No, that's a secret." Su Mei narrowed her eyes and smiled, "I heard the boss knocking on the spoon, let's go."
"..." Xiaoman didn't have time to catch the look that flashed across his face before he was led down the stairs by his friend who had returned to normal. The opportunity had already been missed. As she watched him bring her portion of hot soup, she thanked him and put her doubts in her heart.