Pale Emblem

Chapter 98 Spider Mark
In a corner on the southwest side of Water Snake Town, there are several rows of abandoned warehouses.They are now the home of "Goldfinger".

The setting sun hangs down the distant mountains, the silver moon has not yet risen, and the blue-purple sky casts its last light.In the evening, it was time for the "Golden Finger" to return to the nest.

Surrounded by a group of little guys, Stephanie returned to her lair with her head held high, with the demeanor of a big sister.When others see them raising their chins one by one, and looking at the sky, they know that they have a lot of harvest today.Those "little fingers" who failed to complete the task were downcast and looked listless.

Normally, they're going to be out of luck today.

Sure enough, there was a sound of whips beating on the flesh and muffled groans from the passage behind the warehouse door.A sharp young man was giving two and a half boys a hard lesson with a whip.They were stripped of their shirts and fell to their knees, the whip mercilessly fell on their thin backs, leaving bloodstains.The few young children next to her were huddled in fright, shaking like quails. A little girl tried to cover her eyes because she was afraid, but was yelled at by young people.

"Don't cover your eyes! You all show me clearly, they are beaten because you are lazy, cowardly, careless, and clumsy! When you grow up, you will also be punished for the mistakes of your younger brother and sister."

The young man's name is Zod, the second in the gang.Of course, the "Goldfinger" gang is not called a gang, but a "family".If Pym is the head of the "family", then Zod is the eldest son of the "family" and will inherit the position of the head of the family in the future.

The children are afraid of Zod because he is fierce.Stephanie didn't like him either, but she had to admit that the other party did have the ability. Pym, the "great parent", praised Zod's "craftsmanship" over his years.Zod disciplines the children for the "big parents", punishing those who fail to complete their tasks, hide their belongings, and break the rules; there are also rewards for children who obey the rules and overpay.

When Zod saw Stephanie, he immediately changed a smile. With his right hand on his chest, he bent down slightly and said, "The little princess at home is back. From the look on your face, you will know that you have gained a lot today."

Stephanie lifted her skirt and bowed her knees in return, even though she was wearing a coarse maid's skirt, she was still elegant like a lady.

It is difficult for ordinary people to imagine that children who grow up in a den of thieves have to learn not only the skills of stealing, but also cultural knowledge and various cumbersome etiquette.

Zod tapped the handle of the whip with his left thumb, and the whip seemed to come alive. The whip swung up and wrapped itself around his wrist.

Stephanie's eyes lit up.Zod's skill is so beautiful that she stole it for a long time and didn't learn it.She didn't know that this "brother" had already seen her own thoughts clearly, so she deliberately showed her unique skills in front of her, which was a small reward for her.

This is a commonly used incentive method for "parents", and it has an obvious effect on those children who are talented and competitive.

Zod stretched out his right hand and spread his palm.Stephanie curled her lips and took out three full purses and placed them in his hands.I saw that Zod weighed the purse with a satisfied smile on his face. With a flip of his palm, the three purses magically disappeared.

The children suddenly exclaimed and praised, and they all gathered around, staring at Zod with admiration, looking left and right, trying to find the purse hidden by him.

However, the older thieves, including the two boys who had just been whipped, were only envious.They can also do this trick of turning into a purse, but they are not so proficient.

They secretly made up their minds to practice more when they had time, so that the little kids under them knew how powerful the boss was.

Zod laughed in his heart, waved his hand calmly and said, "Let's go, let's eat!"

Nothing made the group of orphans happier than eating, and they hurried into the hall.Dinner has already been prepared in the hall, and there are wooden plates with food on the ten long tables, exuding bursts of aroma.

The food tonight is quite rich, including barbecue, chicken salad, thick fish soup, fresh fruits and vegetables, the main course is stewed beef with mud melon cubes, and goat milk wine chilled with well water, which amazes the children.

They quickly found their seats, drooling over the table full of food, but no one started to eat.

"Master" Pym and everyone else took their seats, then stretched out their hands to hold the people on the left and right.So, everyone held each other's hands and recited in unison with the "parents": "Thank you for my hand, thank you for the hands of the children, thank you for the hands of brothers and sisters, and thank the hands of the parents for making us eat today. "

With this simple ritual done, it's time to start enjoying today's dinner. Goldfinger's den serves only two meals a day, breakfast and dinner.The children went out early and came home hungry, and they ate quickly and quietly, hardly making much noise.But there are nearly [-] people in this lair, most of them are children, there are also some adults and teenagers.The scene where they gather together to eat together is quite spectacular.

A few small thieves, including Stephanie, are eligible to sit with the patriarch Pym.They chatted while eating, talked about their own experiences, and exchanged information with each other. Those who had disputes with each other were resolved by the "parents" in this harmonious atmosphere.

Pym picked up the glass and signaled to everyone: "This sumptuous dinner is specially prepared for Bobby. He will be leaving the nest soon. Come on, everyone wishes our Bobby good luck in the future."

The parents and brothers obviously knew the news, and the little thieves all looked at Bobby. Some of them were surprised, some were jealous, and some were reluctant.

"Old man, I don't want to go." Bobby shouted unhappily.At the age of sixteen or seventeen, he had naturally curly hair, a round face and a nose, and he looked very happy even with a distressed face.

Before the old man Pym could speak, Zod jumped out and taught a lesson: "How do I usually teach you? Don't break the rules at home. Look at how fat you are now? You eat more. With one bite of meat, younger brothers and sisters have to eat less. Now is the time to leave home for food... Don't say that my brother doesn't take care of you, I gave it to you. "

Zod turned a knife out of his hand and handed it to Bobby.This knife is plain on the surface, but it is actually made of gold, which is full of weight.It can be used to practice pickpocketing skills, and when necessary, it can also be sold to help the golden fingers who have left the nest to tide over the difficulties.It has a special name called "cutting hand knife", which means that the golden finger has separated from the family from now on.

The business of Golden Finger originated from the Orphan Gang, and its origins can be traced back to more than 400 years ago, when the Earth Goddess Sect lost its power and the turbulent times of major city-states.

During the heyday of the goddess sect, priests exercised strict control over half-elf civilians.Unattended half-elf orphans are centrally raised by the sect.After the goddess sect lost power, the half-elf city-state experienced decades of turmoil, and the number of half-elf orphans increased significantly.The city-state's orphans are ignored, and they can only stay warm in order to survive.Older children and young children rely on begging, picking up garbage, inquiring about news for others, running errands and running errands to make a living, and of course they also steal, cheat, and fight for territory.

The harsh living environment prompted the Orphan Gang to constantly adjust their survival strategies, gradually forming rules and even unique rituals.For example, the little thief who did not complete the task of stealing either received corporal punishment from his elder brother, or chose to starve collectively.Today, two little thieves were beaten by Zod, but they also won the trust of their younger brothers and sisters, and the small group became more cohesive.

Goldfinger has almost completely inherited the tradition of the Orphan Gang, and mainly uses adults' sympathy and tolerance for children to engage in theft, fraud, spying, and running errands.However, orphans will grow up one day.Just like Bobby, who is 16 and a half years old and is going to be an adult soon.He has grown in size and has a strong need for food.He can't go through dog holes and narrow passages that children can go through now.If he was accidentally caught stealing, it would be difficult to get the owner's forgiveness, and he would inevitably be beaten to death.He can only help the parents and do some logistical support.

However, there are people doing all the work Bobby can do, and it's impossible to keep him at home all the time.

In fact, there is a limit to the number of orphans that each site can support.Water Snake Town is a good place with rich oil and water, but old man Pym has more than a dozen adult "parents" under his command, plus more than seventy little fingers.

Orphans who grow up must "separate nests", that is, select a few brothers and sisters who get along well and go to other places to form their own "family".

There are more and more orphan gangs splitting up, occupying every territory of the alliance city-state, and over time, a loosely-structured, but closely-connected thieves union is in charge of the underground world of the Disa Alliance.

This brings a new problem. Every site in the underground world has its owner, and the "separated" orphans can't find their own site.As a result, the traditional orphan gang has evolved into "gold fingers", and "separation" has also become "leaving home" alone.

In today's world, it is not easy for thieves to find a bowl of rice to eat.

According to the "Goldfinger" rules, each parent must prepare a valuable gift for the "away from home" child, which is equivalent to severance pay.

Bobby grew up in a den of thieves. Although he had a hundred unwillingness in his heart, his eldest brother Zod did not allow his younger siblings to compete with him for the heir position.

With Zod taking the lead, the other parents also gave Bobby all kinds of jewelry.The little thief has no private property yet, so they don't have to give it.

Finally, the patriarch Pym said, "Bobby, have you decided what you're going to do in the future?"

Bobby stuffed the gift he received into his pocket and said, "Old man, I have decided to try to awaken the agility trait, go out for adventures in the future, and save money to become a bow warrior."

Pym scratched his sparse hair and said angrily, "If you want to become a 'thug' professional, I have a ready-made way here, and I can introduce you to the Uttar Pradesh Brotherhood and find an errand... Do you think Become a 'bow warrior' and become an adventurer? To be honest, the money I have prepared for you is only enough for you to try to awaken. If the awakening fails, you may die; even if the awakening is successful, you still want to be promoted to the bow warrior. A lot of money."

"Child, it's too late for you to regret it now."

Bobby shook his head and said firmly: "I don't regret it!"

Pym sighed, dropped the napkin, stood up and said, "Well... you say goodbye to your brothers and sisters first, then come to my room, I have something for you."

Stephanie's mood became very bad. After dinner, she was in a daze in the room, her friends fell asleep, and Bobby didn't come to say goodbye to her.Feeling that she couldn't wait any longer, she raised her left hand and looked at it, and a small spider pattern gradually appeared in her palm.

Stephanie's senses became extremely sharp, and she could clearly feel the flow of air, and the slight vibration around her also formed a dynamic picture in her mind.She didn't even need to look with her eyes, she knew from the door that there were parents patrolling the aisle.

She pushed open the door, walked straight to the "parent" who was patrolling, and said actively, "Uncle Bart, I want to see Bobby."

Bart is a very strong middle-aged man who is usually taciturn.Compared to several other strict parents, he is very tolerant of children.The little fingers in the den of thieves like Uncle Bart, and they seem to have a sense of security around him.

But Stephanie knew that Bart was by no means simple. The spider pattern on her palm could even feel the strong vitality of life in Bart, just like a big tree.

Fortunately, Bart did not notice the special change of Stephanie.He looked at the little thief who was most favored by the "parents" and said with a smile: "Come on, Bobby is leaving soon. The old man will take him to the treasure room to get the money in a while, and he will just get the money. Not coming back."

Stephanie said thank you and ran barefoot to Bobby's room.Several parents have seen her too, but everyone knows that Stephanie nearly froze to death when she was wandering outside, thanks to Bobby who brought her back to the den of thieves.Since Stephanie was several years older than the other orphans, old Pym was reluctant to take her in.It was Bobby who begged so hard that she was not driven away.

It turns out that Stephanie is talented, and Bobby has picked up a treasure.

The relationship between the two has always been close, and it is normal for Stephanie to want to say goodbye to Bobby. "Parents" always treat Stephanie differently, and naturally they won't stop her for this trivial matter.

Bobby has his own little room in the den of thieves.The curly-haired teenager was packing up when Stephanie burst into the room.When he saw Stephanie running barefoot in a sackcloth nightdress, he couldn't help laughing, "Little girl, I'm leaving, but I don't have a present for you."

Immediately afterwards, Bobby used his lips to tell Stephanie: Pym came to me quietly and said that the Uttar Pradesh Brotherhood had begun to investigate the island street orphans, and they would soon find my head.I have to go, go tonight and never come back.

Bobby and Stephanie actually have a secret in common, they are all orphans, both come from Island Street, and they are also cousins.

Stephanie's mom is Bobby's aunt.When his parents died when he was a child, he was adopted by his aunt's family.The uncle and aunt treat Bobby as her own, and his relationship with Stephanie is more like brother and sister.Unfortunately, her uncle died a few years later, and Stephanie's mother had to remarry with her two children.But the stepfather is a gang member, and he can accept the young Stephanie, but he doesn't like seeing the 8-year-old Bobby, so he secretly buys Bobby to Goldfinger.

Over the years, Stephanie's memory of Bobby's brother has faded, but Bobby has never forgotten the kindness of his aunt's family.

After the Island Street Massacre, Bobby found an opportunity to send a letter to the Uttar Pradesh Brotherhood, and went to wander around Island Street to find out about his aunt and cousin.As a result, he found Stephanie, but the aunt's family, including the stepfather who sold him, were all killed.

Stephanie followed Bobby to Water Snake Town and joined Goldfinger here.No one but Bobby knew she was Island Street Remnant.But Goldfinger's "big parent" Pym knew that Bobby was from Island Street.

Now, the Uttar Pradesh Brotherhood is also starting to clear the inner island street orphans.It can be seen that the highland nobles of Fallen Leaves City vowed to kill the poor people of Dao Street.

In fact, Bobby has nothing to do with the wolf shepherd girl, and he has to run for his life now.Stephanie was hated, scared, and panicked.Because she has an extraordinary relationship with the wolf shepherd girl, and the spider mark on the palm of her hand was left to her by the wolf shepherd girl.

Stephanie, who has experienced tragic events, has a maturity that does not match her age. She is grateful to Bobby for helping her, but she cannot fully trust the other party.

Originally, the two were grasshoppers tied together, but now Bobby is leaving.Stephanie was really worried that he would reveal his identity to the "big parents".But she can't do anything now, and she doesn't care that there are "parents" eavesdropping outside the door, so she asks directly, "Bobby, can you take me away?"

Bobby laughed and said, "You are like an old man's eyeball now, how dare I abduct you? Stephanie, you have to study hard here. When I develop in the future, I will come back to see you." He rubbed Stephanie's little head warned with her lips:
After I leave, no one will know who you are.Take care of yourself, as long as you don't show yourself, you'll be safe here.

Stephanie rolled her eyes, suddenly grabbed Bobby's hand, and took a hard bite.Bobby only felt a sharp pain in his palm, as if he was stung by a spider, and quickly retracted his hand.

Before Bobby could question her, Stephanie stomped her feet and cried, "I hate you!"

After that, she covered her face, turned and rushed out of the room.The "parents" who spied on them thought that little Stephanie was unwilling to be left by Bobby, so she was sad and resentful and bit Bobby's hand.

(End of this chapter)