Pale Emblem

Chapter 23 The Noble Slave Trader

In the mayor's study, Rhodes of the Iron Cross was sitting on a chair, looking at the bookshelves full of cotton paper books, and said with a smile, "Lord Maine, it seems that you have a new book in the past few years in the plantation. "

Several windows on the wall were closed, blocking the cold wind from outside, and also dimmed the light in the study.Several crystal candle lamps were lit on the desk, and the dazzling candle light became soft and bright through the special crystal lampshade.Maine lay down at the table, writing with a quill, complaining: "How can there be any new books? They drove me from Fallen Leaves City to Braun Town, not even a book. I am old, and my memory It's not as good as before. Without books for reference, how can an old guy like me write new things? The cotton paper books on the bookshelf are all the memories that I have used to pass the time and write down some memories in the past few years... Some cotton paper books have been It's rotten, and the rest won't last long."

He put down the quill, rubbed his sore wrist, and said to Rhodes: "The lamps you sent are good, it would be even better if you could send me another box of animal skins."

Rhode said with a constant smile: "My sage, you can't even bring your own collection of books, how dare I, the leader of a small adventure group, give you a box of animal skins? Don't say a box, just I don't even have the guts to give it to you. With the wisdom of adults, I should be able to think of someone with eyes and ears beside you, and I can understand my difficulties."

Maine's eyes became gloomy, and he was sullen for a while, but finally he sighed helplessly, "Those people are trying to trap me in the frontier plantation."

"It's not like you have no chance at all." Rhode lowered his voice and took the opportunity to say.

The old mayor squinted at him with a playful and sarcastic smile, and asked back, "What? Do you have a way to get me back to the City of Fallen Leaves? You know what I did before I was expelled by the council?"

Maine has lost power in the past few years. Before that, slave traders like Rhodes didn't even have the qualifications to talk to him.Maine doesn't believe that Rhodes can know about him, even if he hears some half-truths, he can't get involved.If the slave trader is really involved, whatever the outcome of the operation, his background is not as simple as it usually appears.

Rhode didn't seem to notice Sage Maine's contempt for his attitude, and then said: "Of course I am not qualified to know about your affairs. I only heard that the Lord was suddenly arrested the night before he took over as the governor of Fallen Leaves City. On the way to Braun Town, the Council of Fallen Leaves City urgently issued an appointment order to replace the Mayor of Braun Town by the sage of Maine.”

"You didn't do anything, you just got demoted."

Maine put away his contemptuous gesture, re-examined Rhodes, nodded indifferently and said, "Or, I'm under house arrest."

"Whether it's demotion or house arrest, neither you nor Mr. Joseph are charged with any crime." Rhode said with a reserved smile: "The City of Leaves stipulates that the border guards change their defenses every two years. In a few months, it will be the turn of Braun Town. The guards are changing, and you and Captain Joseph have been in Braun for four full years and separated from your family and friends for four full years. Don't you want to go back next spring to be with your family?"

"Well, go on, I'm listening." Mayor Mayen said lightly.

Rhode said in deep thought, "Of course, I'm just a small person, and I can't help you much. However, some of my friends are people who can do it. Coupled with the old friends of the adults in the Fallen Leaf City Council, there may be a chance to help. Let you resign as mayor and return to the main city to retire. There is one city and four states in Fallen Leaf City, and you probably have no hope of returning to Highland City, but the four states under Highland City, adults can choose any one of them... What I said can be said It's all true."

Mayor Maine clasped his hands, looked at each other deeply, and asked, "What do you want from me?"

However, Rhode asked back: "Mr. Vertoc was studying writing with Lord Sage yesterday, and suddenly fell asleep. How is he now?"

Maine sneered: "You, a slave trader, are really hitting on that kid... who are you going to sell him to?"

Rhode shook his head and said, "Most of the half-elves in the main city think that the slave trade is a black-hearted business, but I firmly believe that the slave trade is a good deed. The sage has lived on the border plantation for so long, you should understand , Without slave traders like me, many barbarians would not be able to survive. I found a way for them, and I just made a little money from it."

"Your so-called 'good deed' is actually digging the corner of the alliance..."

Maine shook his head, reluctant to discuss this topic with a slave trader, and instead said: "The child's amnesia is very serious, and it has hurt his mental state. As long as he concentrates, he will be lost and sleepy, and even faint. How much is such a half-elf boy worth to you? Who are you going to sell him to?"

"Sell? No, no, my lord, you misunderstood. I only sell barbarian slaves, half-elf slaves, and it's not my turn to intervene." Rhode waved his hand and continued: "A learned sage like you. Those who want to live should not stay in border towns with poor living conditions, and the same is true for Mr. Vertoc. The stable and prosperous main city is where he should go. I would like to introduce Mr. Vertoc to a rich, elegant and powerful man The family came to adopt him. Even if I get some small benefits from it, you should believe it is completely noble, just like I would rather offend some big man than help a sage return to a civilized city, I can only do this for noble purposes."

Successful businessmen know how to deal with different people in different ways, and when dealing with a sage, they need to reason with him.

Maine had to admit that Rhodes had a point.Interests and noble behaviors are not necessarily in conflict. Rhodes does noble things for his own interests, and he cannot deny nobleness itself.Unless Maine himself is not noble, there is no way to deny Rhodes' rhetoric.

He thought for a moment and asked, "There are five famous sects in Fallen Leaf City. Which family are you going to introduce Vertok to?"

Rhode shook his head and smiled: "I can't say that, I'm just a small character, don't embarrass me, my lord."

Maine nodded and asked again, "So, how can I help you?"

"My lord is wise, and I didn't need to provide a method. But..."

Rhode showed a wry smile and said: "My business is mainly in Braun Town, Lord Bartom of the Adventurer's Home, I would not dare to offend him no matter what. Therefore, I hope Lord Maine will take care of him when he returns to Fallen Leaf City. Bring Vertoc too. He is free, and as long as he is willing to move to the main city with you, Lord Bartom has no right to detain him. I don’t have to offend the Adventurer’s House.”

Mayor Maine said with a half-smile, "You are using me as a shield."

Rhodes stood up, rubbed his chest and saluted, and said humbly, "For adults, it's just a matter of the way."

Maine didn't make a decision, only said: "I still have to think about it. Captain Rhodes, please go back first."

They were talking when the voices of Vertok and John came from downstairs.Rod didn't want to be seen by Boss Bartom's confidants to be alone with Maine, so he quickly bid farewell to the mayor and quickly left the study.But one important thing he forgot was that Vertoc was particularly good at distinguishing smells.

So, Vertok took John and went straight into the mayor's study, sniffed habitually, and immediately said, "Captain Rhodes is just here."

Maine wanted to reprimand Vertok for not knowing how to knock on the door, but when he heard him say that, his eyes widened in surprise, "Do you have such a smart nose?"

The town mayor admitted that Captain Rhode had just been here, but he didn't explain it. John couldn't help but feel suspicious, but Vertok didn't take it to heart and said anxiously, "I want to continue learning to write."

He recovered his memory of writing, but there are differences between the cursive characters of Dissa half-elf and the characters he remembered, which requires special study to master, and when Maine teaches writing, he will talk about some things, which is what Vertok is looking forward to. of.

Mayor Mayen asked amusingly: "What? You haven't slept enough, do you want to sleep for another day?" Immediately, he waved his hand and sighed: "Son, your illness is not healed yet, and you need to rest in peace. I don't dare I will teach you to write again, so as not to increase your mental burden. When your mental state improves, come and learn writing from me.”

Without a word, Vertok walked to the desk, grabbed Mein's quill, and wrote five different cursive characters on the cotton bark paper, stared into the eyes of the old man, and asked, "These words, do you do you know it?"

Mayor Mayen's face changed greatly, his fingers trembled and lightly stroked the words written by Vertok, he couldn't hide his excitement and murmured: "Secret text... No, not exactly, from the perspective of deformation style, these three should be It's an ancient script...I think I've seen it before, oh, yes, I remembered it, it's the Tolin Ruins clay tablet script, the oldest swash script ever unearthed so far! It's the alphabet of the half-elf swash script! "

He raised his head abruptly, grabbed Vertok's wrist across the table, and asked enthusiastically and excitedly: "Son, what did you write? How did you use the 'alphabet'? Which sage do you belong to? disciple?"

Vertok took the opportunity to press the old man's arm, and he found that the mayor's seemingly slack arm revealed a faint elasticity, which could offset his grasp.This feeling was also experienced on John's arm, but Mein's arm was more pronounced, and grasping his arm was like grasping a slippery loach.

"Hey, the muscles and bones in your arms are very similar to John's."

Mayor Mayen said angrily: "Don't interrupt! Tell me, what did you write? Whose disciple are you?"

Victor shook off Maine's hand, shook his head and said, "The words I wrote were 'Who am I?'...Other things, I don't remember. You must tell me, whose disciple am I?' Mother What is the word '?"

Maine blew his beard and said loudly: "I know who your disciple is, do I still have to ask you? The so-called 'alphabet' is the original text of the half-elf civilization, and it is rarely circulated, except for the great sage more than 1000 years ago. Malfoy, I haven't heard of a sage who has deciphered the 'Alphabet'."

John interjected curiously, "Mr. Mayor, is the 'letter' important?"

"Important? What's more important?! It's very, very important!" Maine exclaimed: "The great sage Malfoy deciphered the 'alphabet' of the relics, but did not teach the 'alphabet' to anyone, the private message he left behind The notes are all written in 'alphabet', no one can understand, but everyone wants to understand... Vertok, it doesn't matter who taught you these words, you can write a few more 'alphabets' for me have a look."

Maine mentioned that the notes of the great sage Malfoy were written in "alphabetical letters" that no one could understand, and Vertoc decided not to teach this type of script to anyone.

He is very smart now.

Vertok was about to ask about the personal notes of the great sage Malfoy, when there was a wailing and wolf howling outside the house.He walked to the wall curiously, pushed open the window of the study, and saw the barbarian boy Yog, with a strange scar on his face, who was naked, running around a pile of obstacles and screaming.

A group of half-elf guards giggled and watched the excitement, while the barbarian leader Ingrid and several robust barbarian slaves chased and blocked Yog with sticks and ropes.

They and Yog spoke both barbarian languages, and Vertok couldn't understand them, so he asked, "What are they doing?"

The Mayor of Maine took a look and said indifferently, "Ingrid wants to circumcise that barbarian boy. He didn't want to, so he escaped."

"Circumcision? What does it mean? May I go and see?" Vertok asked enthusiastically.

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(End of this chapter)