Age of Heroes, ten consecutive guarantees.

Chapter 256 Elysee Gorgon
Bitter cold on the frontier.

Every year in winter, everything withers, and snow falls thousands of miles away.

This is naturally comfortable for people sitting at home basking in the sun and holding a heater, but for many poor families, it means that this year's cold winter will be more difficult.

A wooden cart is struggling on the snow-covered driveway, with half a load of charcoal on it.

The two of them were pushing the cart forward with difficulty, their heads were covered by a heavy snowstorm, their toes were shivering from the cold, red spots had appeared on their cheeks, and they kept coughing out big mouthfuls of white mist to push the cart forward.

Two people, one big and one small, trekked in the snow.

Adults pull in front and children push in the rear.

The little girl was wearing thin and pudding-like clothing.

After a difficult walk, he finally returned to his home in a remote corner of the village.

It’s a home, but it’s just a wooden house, barely built with a fairly thick wall, which can shelter from wind and rain, and there is a small fireplace, which is already the shelter of the mother and daughter.

The door was closed, and the gap was blocked with fur and straw, so that no wind continued to blow in.

The little girl shook off the snow on her head, and immediately ran to the fireplace to start a fire. She was skilled in her movements, but her hands were so cold that she couldn't control it, and she couldn't start a fire several times in a row.

After the mother put the car away, she came back with charcoal and put the girl's hands under her armpits to keep warm. She touched her daughter's ears distressedly and bit her lower lip slightly.

"It's very warm." The girl leaned on her mother's arms and said, although her hands were cold and her face was flushed, she didn't even complain.

The children of poor families are in charge early.

In this borderland, it is even more bitter cold and barren.

She heard that before she was born, her parents were actually quite well-to-do. They lived in a bright and spacious house in a town with convenient transportation. She used to have nice toys and beautiful skirts, but later her father became addicted to gambling. Every time he loses money, he will go to drink. The more he drinks, the more money he loses. In a few years, he has gone bankrupt. He even beat his mother who tried to control him, and even threatened his mother to give him his savings. Just sold the child.

Later, my mother was afraid that she would be sold, and the family had no money at all. When she went out, she would be pointed at, not repaid, and scolded... She could only take herself to this impoverished border area to escape. As for the father, it was later heard that he drowned in the river while drinking.

But she doesn't feel that she is not happy, because her mother loves her very much, but she works very hard, and she has to leave early and return late every day to support herself.

And even in this bitter cold place, the people in the village are not friendly, and they all exclude themselves... My mother is very beautiful, but when she is taken care of, she is envied and gossips secretly.

She also used to reason with other people's children. She won those children and was approached by adults. Her mother protected herself behind her. After those people left, she didn't say a word of reproach to her daughter.

The girl knows that it is very hard and hard at present.

How much she longed to grow up quickly and share the pressure of her mother.

Originally, the family was waiting for lunch, but soon there was a knock on the door.

After the girl opened the door, she looked timidly at the two figures in cloaks, and asked in a low voice, "Who are you?"

"...You are Elyse, right?" The tall figure in the black cloak took off her hood, revealing a gentle face, and she knelt down slowly: "You have grown so big."

She wanted to reach out to touch the girl's cheek, but she immediately avoided it carefully, her eyes full of vigilance and caution.

The woman's movements stopped, her fingers stiffened for a second, her eyes were full of pity, she opened her mouth and sighed softly.

At this time, the mother came out, stood behind the door and looked at the two women outside the door: "You, why do you..."

"We have been looking for you for five years." There was a trace of anger and sadness in the eyes of the woman squatting on the ground: "Why did you contact us!"

"I'm just... sorry."

"We are relatives! No matter what the reason is, you should not leave without saying goodbye, knowing how much we..."

The little girl thought she was arguing, and hurriedly hugged her mother's arm, showing a threatening expression to the two strange women. Unknowingly, there was a hissing sound in her hair, and a small snake came out of her hair. Come out and make a threatening noise.

This cute little movement caught the attention of the two women outside the door. They looked at each other and couldn't help restraining their emotions, showing a hint of helplessness in their eyes.

Mother opened the door: "Anyway, come in and talk first."

Welcoming the two women into the home, the little girl immediately fell under the hot cocoa and sweet candies brought by the other party. At the same time, she understood from the conversation that they were her mother's two sisters, that is, her two aunts.

They searched for their mother for a long time, and finally found her. They came here today to welcome her back.

The weather-beaten woman didn't want to agree at first, but she fell silent when the other party said, "You don't think about yourself, you also think about your children" and chose to agree.

The two women left here. They said they would come back in three days and everything needed to be kept secret. They disappeared into the snow.

That night, the mother hugged Elysee and said a lot, and it was not until she grew up that she could understand the meaning of what her mother said.

The reason why she didn't want to go back was because even if she went back, it wouldn't be safe, and she didn't want to sell her soul.

But the mother still succumbed, she could abandon her principles for the sake of her daughter.

……

The evening of the second day.

Alice is picking up firewood outside. This is her daily habit. Picking up some firewood every day will add up and save a lot of fire costs.

I accidentally picked up some more today, and when she walked back home by the moonlight, she suddenly heard a rushing sound.

She thought it was a pack of wolves or some kind of large animal, and subconsciously squatted behind a tree, poking her head out carefully.

But what came here was not a pack of wolves, but a group of strangers on a sled.

They wore cloaks, showing clear faces in the bright moonlight.

is human.

Elyse seldom sees humans, because this border village is a village of demihumans, and there are almost no purebred humans inside.

This group of people carried weapons on their backs, the number was unclear, and she couldn't count them at all.

"Greyhound, is this here?"

"That's right, Captain, I've already visited this border village. Few people come here. It's covered with heavy snow every year, and no one cares about it for at least two months."

"What strange race?"

"There are more ice wolves here, a lot of horned ones, and others..."

"Forget it, let's talk after we catch it." The bearded man interrupted the other party's words: "No one will accept it if it is not a rare race. It can only be sold to the farm. I hope it will not lose money this time."

He raised his hand and pointed forward: "Brothers, the old rules, whoever catches it will be counted!"

The crowd made a deafening noise, and the snow fell from the trees.

Alice covered her mouth tightly to prevent herself from panting.

Fortunately, the snow has a sound insulation effect, and no one noticed the strangeness here.

The group headed towards the village.

The girl's legs were weak, and she tried several times before standing up.

Those people... are slave hunters.

The slave catchers are notorious for arresting slave trade... But this is the Holy Roman Empire, and the slave trade to Asians has already been banned.

But here is the frontier, no matter what you do, no one cares.

She glanced at the village, and ran away the next moment. She wanted to find her mother, and it was too late to warn the people in the village now, she had to leave here as soon as possible.

Fortunately, my home is far from the village, my mother should be fine, she should...

She didn't dare to think too much, so she could only run home while panting.

I don't know how many times I fell down.

She was already using the fastest speed, but when she returned home with a bruised nose, all she saw was a burning house.

A few extra stone sculptures that appeared out of thin air in the snow had their backs to their mother.

She stood among the group of stone carvings, and there were bright red blood stains on the ground.

"Mother……"

After hearing the weak voice, the mother turned her head to look at the girl. At that moment, her purple-black pupils returned to normal, and she no longer had the strength to stand upright, so she could only hug her daughter.

There were several fatal wounds on her body, and crimson blood overflowed from the wounds, dyeing the large expanse of snow red.

The girl's tears kept dripping.

"Mom, you're bleeding, I'll get the medicine." She seemed about to plunge into a room full of flames.

"Don't go, Elise...I can't do it anymore." Her mother grabbed her arm and endured the stinging pain: "You have to be well alone."

"No, I don't want it, I want my mother to be fine!"

"Elysee."

"mom!"

"Elysee!!" The mother's serious expression made the girl stop crying.

The woman stroked her daughter's cheek, wiped her tears, and took off a necklace around her neck, on which hung an orb that looked like an eye.

"Elyse... take this and run out."

"No matter what, keep going until Auntie finds you..."

The girl asked with ignorant eyes: "Then, where is Mom?"

The mother didn't say anything, but stroked her cheek silently and gently.

She knew that her daughter was very smart. Although she was only in her teens, she already knew a lot of things.

Including this sudden parting.

"I..." Elysee wished she could be willful once.

But she knew that she couldn't. She didn't even have the qualifications to stay and turn back for the opportunity her mother sacrificed her life for.

After watching her daughter leave, the woman stood up again, her snake hair and purple-black eyes looked not far away.

"In order to kill me...not hesitate to join the slave hunting group."

"The cunning rabbit is dead, the lackey is cooking..."

"It's such a simple truth, why don't you understand it? Even if all the tasks are completed...he won't let us go free."

Clutching her wound, she staggered towards the burning village.

There was no hatred, no sentimentality in the eyes, only a touch of reluctance, and... tired relief.

……

"Captain, it's actually a gorgon, this is a rare commodity! This head is very valuable!"

"Well, it's a windfall." The head of the slave catcher was full of surprises, but he was surprised soon: "But even if she was seriously injured to the point of death, she still killed more than half of us. How did she get seriously injured?"

"It's quite beautiful, but it's a pity that death is not as valuable as life."

"And a small one!"

Suddenly someone shouted loudly from the side.

"What did you say?" The head of the slave catcher stretched out his hand and grabbed a young man of the wolf clan: "Speak clearly!"

"There's another little one, as long as you let our family go, I'll tell you where she is!" The man shouted tremblingly.

"Oh, it's really interesting..." The head of the slave catcher glanced at the cowardly man: "The other party tried his best to save you just now. You are not grateful, but betrayed the other party's daughter instead?"

"I, I can tell you, as long as you let it go..." The man with trembling legs continued to repeat tremblingly.

The head of the slave catcher suddenly drew his knife and pierced the other man's heart. Blood spurted from the man's mouth, and he fell to the ground and died within a few seconds.

"Captain, why did you kill him?"

"It's just killing a bastard, don't talk so much nonsense."

"What about the little one? Don't catch him?"

"It doesn't take a lot of effort to catch a little guy." The head of the slave catcher sneered disdainfully: "Don't question my professional level, bring a hunting dog... the footprints on the snow are the best tracking records, a little girl can How far!"

(End of this chapter)