Blood tax

Chapter 248 I will not give you my precious daughter, go to hell, little bastard!
It seems that there is no useful information here.Disappointed Griffith lay on the comfortable bed.He originally planned to go to the Great Canaan Library to search for information, but the published books are so obscure, and the detailed information in the Great Library must be included in the list of banned books.

It's still early for bed time, why don't you go out for a walk~ If Galadia comes up to sit, you can play a few games of auto chess... Griffith looked out the window, there seemed to be a piece of blue crystal on the dark blue sky A clear and transparent invisible barrier enveloped the city.The sky and the arc light that appears and disappears on the spire of the nebula temple in the distance complement each other, reflecting colorful and mysterious splendor.

Is there a magic shield covering the top of Canaan?These pointy ears are too extravagant...With this thought, Griffith unconsciously fell asleep.

He slept very restlessly.

An extremely terrifying dream has been haunting Griffith.He seemed to be on a dark altar, his ankles soaked in a viscous liquid that looked like blood.A figure resembling a demon was at the height of the crowd, and a girl seemed to be lying on the stone bed in front of her.

Behind the demon, an invisible shadow was slowly squirming.It appeared to be extremely exhausted and dying.The demon picked up the girl in front of him and threw it inside.The shadow suddenly became turbulent and fiery, as if thrown into a charcoal fire, ejecting evil green light and blood-like liquid.

The believers were cheering wildly. They opened their mouths and stuck out their tongues to catch the falling blood.Their figures were vague and weird at first, twisted and lifeless like withered and decayed old trees, until they became moist again after drinking blood.

This chaotic and absurd dream suddenly shattered, and Griffith's inspiration was touched and he woke up.

His bedroom seemed to have come to life, with scratching sounds and chaotic footsteps coming from the walls.He sprang from the window, listening warily.

The small but clear sound was disgusting and not hallucinatory, like swarms of rats scurrying by.Could it be mice in the walls?
They must have been running back and forth behind these thick walls, making shrill, commotion-like calls.

Griffith just woke up from a nightmare, he was in a daze, and could only observe the movement of the wall with the help of the dim light from the window.After a while, the chaotic sound gradually faded away, so he got up from the bed, lit a candlestick, and searched for the past in the direction of the sound.

It was a narrow staircase, dark and hidden, and it was so deep that it didn't know where it led.While he was curious, a half-elf administrator walked by.

"Where is this staircase?" Griffith asked the passing half-elf.

"Not going anywhere," said the administrator, "no entry here."

After speaking, he came over and closed the door at the entrance of the stairs.

It's very strange here, the hidden small doors and stairs seem to be secret passages, they are deliberately prepared for some passing passengers or goods that should not be known.But who is using it?Why wouldn't the administrator want to let me know?
"Is there a rat problem here?" Griffith asked.

The warden was watching him, and soon he said in an unusual whisper, "Impossible, these walls are solid limestone blocks inside, unless centuries of running water have corroded a rat-running tunnel inside. But , that's impossible, I've never seen a mouse in a temple."

With that, the half-elf left, leaving the suspicious Griffith where he was.The air flow passed through the crack of the door, gently shaking the flame of the candle on the candlestick.

It seems that there is a large space in the basement leading to this small door, and the whistling wind blows from there to where Griffith is.

He stood there for a while, and found that there was no way to enter the ground except to remove the door.As a guest, Griffith didn't want to make trouble, so naturally he wouldn't open the door.Just as he was about to leave, the rustling voice came again.

Griffith hastily put down the candlestick in his hand, and carefully prostrated himself on the ground to listen.

The scale of the movement this time far exceeds that of a few minutes ago, and the anomaly cannot be explained in words.It was as if rats from all over Canaan had come running, digging and biting at the end of the tunnel leading to the basement, running back and forth.There was no end to the mysterious commotion, and there were even faint shadows and glimmers of light passing through the basement under the crack of the door.

The movement in the darkness came from a distant place and extended to the distance. Could it be that the rats were preparing to dig a tunnel from the temple leading to the consul's mansion.

This thrilling commotion made Griffith's heart beat faster.

Just guessing the size of the rat swarm from this movement makes people shudder. As for why there are so many rats in such a tidy place like Canaan, this question makes people feel a strong fear of the unknown.

What is going on in the basement locked by the administrator? Are those ancient demons still plotting ulterior plots in the dark?

Griffith left the temple of the Goddess of Starlight and came to the streets.He wanted to detour around the cliff side of the temple to see if it was the river or the sound of the wind that gave him the illusion of night.It is a pity that this is a temple of a goddess after all. Although it is used to let travelers rest, the scale is quite grand.

He walked some distance down the street looking for a way to reach the cliff.Suddenly, he was enveloped by an unknown feeling.As if he had just left the shelter of Silver Moon and Goddess of Starlight, many dormant evil eyes stared at him from undetectable corners.

Hidden beings whispered in the darkness, mingling with each other to form evil and inscrutable ravings.Griffith immediately tensed up and reached out to hold down the weapon on his waist.

He looked around nervously, and there was no one else on the empty street except him.

Trouble, trouble, danger!
No matter how slow Griffith was, he realized that something was wrong. He turned around and ran away, but there was still a distance between Yinyue, who had always been friendly and caring to him, and the Temple of the Starlight Queen, and the danger was already approaching from the darkness.

"Hey, a little human knight, what are you doing here so late?"

There is an irresistible majesty in the easy-going words.The interrogator is a black-haired male elf in casual clothes.He didn't wear any weapons, he was as vigorous and elegant as a cheetah, and there was an irresistible goodwill and chic demeanor in his casual behavior.From the moment he appeared, the ravings and shadows lingering nearby suddenly disappeared.

"Good evening," Griffith replied hastily, "I'm Griffith Blanton, Commander, Third Class Assault Squadron."

"Oh—oh! Griffith, that's a nice name, I'm Estes," the tall elf replied, "Is this your first time in Canaan? You must be at a loss, I'll show you around .”

This is unnecessary.Griffith hastily and politely declined.He was terrified by the rumors and shadows that had just dissipated from the nearby basement, and he really wanted to flee back to the room and hide under the quilt right now.

"Don't refuse so quickly~" Estas put his arms around his shoulders, "Girls won't take you to some places, come on, come on."

Mr. Estas, whom he met for the first time, was so powerful that Griffith couldn't break free, so he followed him halfway.

The elf led him to push open the door of a bar, greeted the half-elf waiter, and pulled Griffith to sit down familiarly: "A human once said to me that there is nothing between men like a glass of wine." If it can’t be solved, if there is, then have another drink.”

I have never heard of this statement... Griffith sat restlessly on the chair, watching Estas fill himself with the crystal blue liquid, and couldn't help but want to decline, but the other party had a kind of Weird attraction.It is not uncommon for an elf to quote a human.Griffith thought for a while, and couldn't help asking: "Is he your friend?"

"You can't say that. He, my former rival in love, abducted my fiancée."

"Pfft!" Griffith, who had just taken a sip of liqueur, spat out the wine.

There was no age to be seen on the elf's face.Maybe that was a long, long time ago.Before Griffith asked, Estes added a sentence self-consciously: "For the time being, he can be regarded as my friend, anyway, the beauty is still with me in the end."

"It seems that your charm is even better." The quasi-knight said sincerely.

"That's not true, that human being died on his own terms," ​​Estas said with a little regret, "He is a brave and upright guy, and his swordsmanship, well, let's admit that he is superior to me, and he is not affected by it." The shackles of common sense, just fighting for the truth of one's own belief... But it is as fleeting as a meteor in the sky. When I heard the unfortunate news, it seemed that I had just met him not long ago, which is really unacceptable."

The elf in front of him must be a friend of some great hero.Griffith wondered in his heart.Estas has an extraordinary appearance and a free and easy manner, which is completely different from the quiet and elegant elves he saw during the day. He must be the upper class of Canaan.

Estas drank the rum slowly: "So, this incident taught me a truth."

"Oh?"

"All the gifts in destiny have already been secretly priced. That friend of mine has so many talents, and with the attention and company of a beautiful woman, he still cannot avoid the fate of withering."

He raised his wine glass to the beautiful Canaan night scene outside the window: "In retrospect, I really feel a little melancholy. However, if you think about it carefully, you can feel relieved.

"Only this impeccable beauty and civility can be worthy of eternity. How about we toast this beautiful evening?"

"May the glory of Canaan last forever." Griffith toasted sincerely.

"Ha, I'm just talking, but you still mean it from the heart," Estas laughed, "Then wish the glory of Canaan will last forever. Tell me, how did a human come here?"

"I was invited by a friend to be a guest."

"Huh? That's rare. There are not many elves who can invite humans as guests. It's not easy for you as an invitee."

"Thanks to my friend. I'm just a human being worth nothing."

"You're too modest, even though what you said is true," Estes shook his head. "Is it a girl who invited you?"

"Yes."

"Have you seen her family?"

"Yet, no...Meet her brother," Griffith became nervous when talking about this, "Maybe we will arrange to meet her brother tomorrow."

"Hmph, if my daughter brings a human boyfriend like you, I will definitely break her dog legs, and then I will tell you," Estas said to the knight with a murderous face,

"I won't give you my baby girl, go to hell, little bastard!"

"..."

Griffith was frightened. For a moment, he felt that he was facing a thunder and storm that would destroy everything, and all the cells in his body were screaming for him to die quickly.His body even began to move subconsciously, wanting to find a knife to end his sinful life.

"I'm joking, I'm joking!" Estas patted him on the shoulder hastily.The monstrous murderous aura flashed past, leaving only the smell of alcohol rushing towards his face.

The elf laughed: "Hahahaha! Just kidding, I just want to say it once, so excited! You know, the chance for elves to say this is very rare, after all, our birth rate is low. Ah, yes, why are you tonight Not with her?"

This made people very puzzled, Griffith shook his head inexplicably: "It's so late, why should girls go home?"

Estes came to his senses: "Hey, young man, let me tell you, if a little wild cat wants to steal dried fish, it should seize the opportunity to get its claws quickly.

"I think that human being was very decisive back then, and ran away with my fiancée! I took a group of people to chase them, and fought with that guy under the cliff and waterfall. It was a tie. My fiancée ran away with that human being while I was fainting. I was so angry, my world view was about to collapse!
"Of course, we're still together in the end, and I'm the one who wins, hahahahaha! We have a pair of cute, um, petite but still cute kids.

"Thinking about it now, although the process was a bit twists and turns, it's quite interesting to look back at this experience..."

Estas was drunk after a few drinks, babbling incoherently.

You, you are more extraordinary and free from vulgarity, and I am ashamed.Griffith looked at the elf he had just met with admiration, thinking that if Galadia ran away with other men, he might be cast into the dark side that day.

"By the way, as an elder, I want to impart a little life experience to you," Estes said suddenly, "about girls."

"Please tell me." Griffith said without hope.He thought that he was not so open-minded, and it would be better to learn how to sacrifice to the dark side if this kind of thing happened.

Estas stared at Griffith drunkenly, his eyes shone with a rare light of wisdom, as if he wanted to see through the fog of fate and soul.He looked at it for a while, and said seriously: "It's no big deal to get along with a girl. You must pay special attention not to let her run away. Even if you quarrel occasionally, even if you have the cheek to catch up Coax them well, sometimes they are so unreasonable, rational we don't need to be as knowledgeable as them.

"Sometimes, just one thought will change a lot."

It does sound reasonable, but I'll have to write it down.Griffith nodded in agreement.He couldn't help thinking that if he kept Galadia to sit in the room and play auto chess, he wouldn't need to listen to the chatter of elves who appeared out of nowhere.

Hey...it was supposed to be a wonderful night!Griffith held his head and rubbed it.

Estas, who had been mumbling all the time, drank the wine in his glass and put it upside down on the table: "Okay, the rare leisure time is over, and I'm going back to work."

"Thank you." Griffith stood up hastily.Estas was supposed to be a great figure in the elves, and working so hard at such a late hour was worthy of his respect.

"You are so polite," Estes shrugged. "Before I leave, I would like to ask you a question. The girl you like is probably of noble status. How do you judge whether you are qualified to propose to her?"

Ah, this... Griffith immediately fell into confusion.He tentatively asked: "Isn't it because I have a noble background?"

"Of course not, it's not cattle, horses, eagles and dogs, you must have a pure blood, and a civilized creature must look civilized," Estas replied, "I heard that you humans have a property of 10 silver Lang, and then With an annuity of 5000 silver Lang, you can propose a marriage."

"There is such a saying."

"Not in Canaan, you will definitely be beaten to death," Estas gestured on his neck, "It's an insult to us to mention property."

Indeed, property does not seem to matter in Canaan.After thinking for a while, Griffith asked, "Then, follow your heart, as long as it's true love, anytime is fine?"

"I'm afraid you are not a fool!" The elf laughed when he heard it.

Yes, I'm so stupid... Griffith thought about it seriously again, and suddenly thought of an answer: "I see, Mr. Estas, as long as I can't be beaten to death, I can propose marriage, right?"

"Yes, isn't that the truth? You're still pretending to be thinking in your head!" Estas smiled and patted him on the shoulder, "Don't look at the elves in this city. Decent, what is the difference between them and other intelligent creatures in essence? It is really superficial to be comfortable with grades. After so many years, this bad idea has become more and more ingrained. If you don’t put them If you wake them up, they won't listen to you properly."

"It's really not like what an elf said." Griffith said with a smile.

"Isn't it? I have a human friend and rival. It has to be a little different."

The two came to the street side by side.The pleasant evening breeze wakes up the drunk, with a different kind of melancholy in my heart.Griffith even wanted to climb over the wall to the consul's mansion, find a ladder and climb to Galadia's room.

"Go and rest, Griffith quasi-knight," Estes stretched his waist, "You will have a lot of things to do soon, it will not be easy, you need to rest well."

"How do you know?" Griffith asked in amazement, "'Soon', is it the time dimension of elves?"

"No no, it's really 'soon'," Estas waved his hand, "This is what the great prophecy told me."

　In fact, this volume has been written in its entirety, and I can't wait to send it all out myself.However, I have to control the pace because of the next volume.After all, when a few girls meet together, talk, move their hands and show their treasures, it requires too much writing power

　　
　
(End of this chapter)