The swordsman's tower returns from the other world

Old Ivan couldn't resist the young man in front of him who was exchanging his life for money. He sighed and the two walked into the tavern side by side.

"Bartender, two drinks, you know I only drink Chico!"

Business in the tavern is very good, because for these infected people and pioneers who don't know whether they will come tomorrow, drinking to drown their sorrows is not only a way to numb themselves, but also the only entertainment.

"Okay, two glasses of Chico Tequila. Find a place to sit. This batch of wine just arrived today. Let me check the date... ha, it just expired less than a month ago!"

Old Ivan and Russell sat at the bar. The bartender quickly brought the drinks. The latest music was playing in the pub. Russell tapped his fingers on the table and said, "It sounds really nice. Is it a new song?"

The bartender nodded slightly and said proudly: "This is the latest rock and roll. In the past two days, Sakaz all over the world seemed to have received a lot of inspiration, and then a lot of good songs came out! This is one of them , what’s it called…Return of the Wendigo.”

"Stop talking about that, how do you feel about this batch of wine?" The bartender nuzzled at Russell.

Russell pretended to take a sip and smacked his lips: "It's not bad, exciting and tasty, good wine!"

"Come on, you can drink your ass, hahaha..." The bartender laughed, and then looked at Old Ivan: "Hey, Old Ivan, how is your guy doing?"

Old Ivan took a sip of wine and said with some disappointment: "The situation has been getting worse and worse recently. Alina's ore disease is too serious. Now I just hope...that John's mother's caravan will bring new ones later." Inhibitors.”

Inhibitors...

Mama John is a Colombian start-up company that started out selling candy. They brought people and goods to the wasteland.

They recruited infected people to settle in the wasteland as pioneers, and then built clinics, shops, banks, police stations on the pioneering sites...

The infected people thought they were making money for themselves, but the money they earned turned into glasses of wine and tubes of so-called inhibitors, and went into John's mother's pocket.

They hire pioneers and extract money from them. When a pioneer dies due to ore disease, a few days later, a new infected person with a pioneering dream will come here.

Repeatedly.

Speaking of John's mother, the bartender was silent for a moment. He looked around and whispered to his two friends: "Hey, have you heard about it?"

"Two days ago, the group of infected people from outside the town had a conflict with John's mother's caravan for some unknown reason."

"They said that the inhibitors that John's mother distributed to us were fake at all. They were just some painkillers and sweet water."

Hearing this, Old Ivan couldn't sit still. He twirled his beard and took a sip of wine. He said in a rough voice: "Who are they? How dare you say that?"

"Without Mother John's inhibitor, we would have died long ago."

The bartender was silent for a moment and said, "They are also infected."

The meaning is obvious, they may also know what the real inhibitor is.

When Old Ivan heard this, he couldn't believe it and shook his head: "This is impossible. John's mother's caravan should not be like this..."

Russell on the side touched the Originium crystal on his arm and did not reply.

They drink expired wine from the outside world, eat cheap and simple low-quality food, and do the most dangerous and difficult jobs in the world, just to extend their lives. Many of them are even talking about what Mother John said. It comes from "distributing mineral disease inhibitors every month".

Now, a group of infected people have emerged. They say that John’s mother’s so-called inhibitor was a scam from the beginning.

This was simply the only hope of destroying these pioneers.

The glass of wine was quickly finished. Old Ivan chewed the ice cubes in the glass and swallowed it. After a long silence, he whispered: "My quota will be distributed tonight. I have to go and take a look."

"Old, old Ivan..." Russell stopped him, raised his hand on his shoulder, and then whispered: "If Aunt Alina really gets sick again, remember to go find Mr. Cannot."

He took off a bag from his waist and stuffed it into old Ivan's arms.

"Russell, you..."

"Stop talking, old Ivan, just take it, just take it."

Old Ivan's hands trembled as he covered the bag in his arms, picked up his pickaxe with the other hand, and left the tavern.

Chapter 3: The Story of Old Ivan (2)

Old Ivan strode out of the tavern and walked along the road towards the east end of the town, where John's mother's caravan was stationed. There, people could buy candies, clean water and food, and... Receive one suppressant per person per month.

The Border Pioneer Corps sign stood out in the dark.

Old Ivan stood in the team with a pickaxe on his shoulder, followed the team forward, took out his identity card, and looked at the friendly and smiling staff in front of him.

"Mr. Ivan, good evening." The staff member bowed his head in greeting. The smile on his face usually looked so friendly, but now it seemed to be hypocritical.

"Good evening, sir." Old Ivan took off his hat, revealing his furry bear ears - he was an Ursus, at least he used to be.

The staff took out a small box from the box on the side, put it in old Ivan's hat, and said with a smile: "This is your inhibitor quota for this month, please take it."

Old Ivan paused and continued: "Where's my wife's?"

"You mean your wife Alina? I'm sorry, her work share this month did not meet the standard, so free inhibitors cannot be distributed this month." The smile on the staff's face began to make old Ivan feel annoying, "Why don't you spend some money to buy it from the caravan shop next door?"

Old Ivan stared at him, gritted his teeth, and his beard bulged slightly from the exertion of his masseter muscles: "How can she still work if she is very ill? Can't I share my quota with her? I obviously did the work of two people. !”

The staff member was silent for a moment and shook his head regretfully: "I'm sorry, Mr. Ivan, this is the rule."

Old Ivan clutched the hat in his hand. After a long time, he raised his head and looked around.

The security personnel holding shields and spears, as well as the crossbowmen and magicians standing on the roof of the car looking around... That was not something Ivan could handle.

He turned around and left, taking the only "inhibitor" with him.

He walked through the streets of villages and towns, watching drunkards scratching their Originium crystals on the street and going crazy, watching orphans who were not adopted holding a piece of dirty bread and making a crunching sound, and watching tired women leaning on the wood. Next to the pillar, a few Colombian banknotes given by a customer were stuffed into the bra.

Old Ivan felt that the world was really fucked up.

He walked all the way to the west end of the village, walked into a hotel, and tiredly climbed the stairs to the second floor. He and his wife Alina rented a room here as... "home."

He pushed the door open and breathed a sigh of relief when he saw his wife lying on the bed.

"Alina, are you awake?" he asked in a low voice.

Alina on the bed suddenly opened her eyes. After seeing old Ivan's face, she breathed a sigh of relief and said: "Ivan, you are back... There is some hot porridge on the stove. Remember to eat it. I … I feel a little tired and want to take a rest.”

Old Ivan came to the bedside, sat on the chair, held his wife's thin hand that was so thin that the skin was close to the bones with one hand, and took out the medicine he received with the other hand, saying: "Today is a hair suppressant." Day, Alina, have you forgotten? Come on, drink the medicine and then go to sleep, okay?"

Old Ivan opened the inhibitor in his hand, which contained several pills and a tube of viscous liquid. He stared at the medicine in front of him.

Painkillers and nutrient solutions...could it be true what the bartender said...

Alina waved her hand and said: "What about your share? My dear, where is your medicine? I saw you only brought back one share."

"Your eyes are still so sharp, Alina." Old Ivan smiled, picked up the pills, and said at the same time: "Don't worry about me, I drank it, I went to get the inhibitor as soon as I got off work, and then I talked to that kid Russell We went to the pub, we took inhibitors together, and then drank some wine, you know..."

"I'm from Ursus, and that's all I have a hobby for."

With tears in her eyes, Alina obediently took the pills, then drank the liquid little by little, and then breathed out: "I feel much better, Ivan."

"I'm quite energetic today. Maybe I can go to the ground tomorrow. Then, let's go mining together, okay?"

Ivan didn't dare to answer. He looked at his wife. Her brown hair, which was once as smooth as a waterfall, now looked rougher than the fur of a split beast.

Her strong and powerful arms had become as thin as bamboo poles at some point, and her body seemed to have very little meat left. Through her skin, you could even feel the hard Origin Stone attached to the bones under the skin.

For this woman, Ivan retired from Ursus's army, fled Ursus with her who was suffering from ore disease, and traveled across mountains and rivers. They had seen Casimir's knight competition, and also seen the prosperity of Victoria, and looked at it from a distance. The towering snow-capped mountains of Kjerag.

But now, she is dying, and the only reason for her to survive in the world for decades will disappear.

Ivan did not cry, suppressed the trembling in his voice, and whispered: "Yes, for sure, you will definitely get better soon, I will stay with you, Alina."

"Don't keep thinking about mining. When you get better, I want to leave Colombia with you. Our journey is not over yet, right? We haven't been to Bolivar or Sargon yet. .”

"I, I feel a little hot...I, Ivan..."

Suddenly, Alina's body trembled, and large beads of sweat broke out on her forehead.

Old Ivan knew that this was a sign of the onset of mineral sickness, which meant... those medicines were useless, or in other words, Alina's mineral sickness was too serious, and those drugs alone were no longer useful.

He suddenly became in a hurry and hurriedly picked up the cup: "Alina, come on, drink some water. Drinking some water will make you feel better. The medicine will take effect soon, Alina..."

"Yes, yes, Mr. Cannot, I, I will go find him, he must have a solution!"

Old Ivan stood up suddenly and wanted to leave the room.

But Alina suddenly grabbed old Ivan's hand and cried softly: "Ivan, don't, don't leave me... please..."

Old Ivan's feet stopped as if they were rooted. He turned around, his resolute face collapsed into sad pain. He looked at his lover in front of him, not knowing what to do.

"Ivan, I'm about to die... Let, let me die." Alina's voice was accompanied by violent breathing and breathy sounds, as if breathing was also a painful thing for her.

Old Ivan finally lowered his head and kissed Alina gently on her forehead.

"...I'll take you with me, Alina, you won't die, no."

He picked up Alina. Her light body when they first met decades ago was now heavy due to the erosion of the Origin Stone.

Just like the weight that has been on his shoulders for decades.

Chapter 3: The Story of Old Ivan (3)

Ten minutes later, Old Ivan returned to the room with Alina in his arms. They found Cannot, but the environment in Cannot was not good, so several people returned here instead.

Cannot Goodnough, a merchant in the wasteland, legend has it that as long as you have money, he can provide you with any service.

But he is a businessman, not a doctor.

"...Ms. Alina is terminally ill. I don't have the ability to cure her, Mr. Ivan." Cannot's voice became weird and full of echoes through the somewhat funny iron bucket helmet: "I suggest you go and find her." Those infected in the wilderness.”

At this time, Alina was still running a fever, and her immune system had been devastated by ore disease.

She closed her eyes in a daze and lay there without saying a word.

Old Ivan looked at his lover blankly and whispered: "I have heard some rumors, Mr. Cannot."

"They said those infected people were bad people, violent elements, and a group of guys who wanted to overthrow Mama John."

Cannot sat on the chair, crossed his legs, and said: "Interesting rumors, what else have you heard? Mr. Ivan?"

Old Ivan was like an old giant bear, sitting on a chair, looking away from his wife and looking at Cannot: "I also heard that what John's mother sent us was not the so-called suppression. agent.”

"It's just nutritional solutions and painkillers. Is this true?"

Kannot was silent for a moment and said: "You know, Mr. Ivan, I am just a businessman. I cannot tell other people's business secrets."

"So, it's true." Old Ivan gritted his teeth and made a squeaking sound.

"Those infected people, where are they?"

Old Ivan walked towards the door.

………………

Following Cannot's guidance, old Ivan quickly found the group of people camping in the wilderness. Logically speaking, the great pioneering was a private business that John's mother did not allow others to interfere with, but it seemed that even John's mother was not allowed to interfere with it. I didn't want to mess with this group of people, so I allowed them to move in the wilderness.

After explaining that he was from Cannot, Old Ivan met the leader of these infected people. To his surprise, he was a young woman with red hair.

Black Originium crystals can be seen everywhere on her body.

"So, you want to ask us to treat your wife, right?"

"...You are an employee of Mother John. You signed a contract with Mother John. You should go to them."

Old Ivan lowered his head and said in a low voice: "They don't care about our life or death."

"I don't know who you are, but you are the only ones I can find. I...I still have these Origin Stone crystals, and I still have a lot of strength. No matter what you value in me, as long as you speak, As long as I have it, I’ll give it to you.”

"Save my wife, please."

Jiu raised his head and looked at the Ursus man in front of him. He was old but still powerful, and his eyes were burning with long-suppressed anger, just like everyone they met after they came to this wilderness.

"I want you to prepare for change, Mr. Ivan, that's all."

Jiu picked up the map on the table, rolled it up and gave it to his subordinates, and then said: "Let's go, let's go rescue your lover."

She held a torch and walked towards the town in the wilderness.

After entering the town, Ivan was surprised to find that these foreign infected people did not seem to be as lonely as he thought. In other words, he was the one who was lonely. Almost everyone he met was interacting with the red man. The hairy Fidia girl said hello.

It was as if they had been waiting for her arrival, or in other words, waiting for what she represented.

Old Ivan took Jiu to his home and pushed in the door.

Upon seeing this, Cannot stood up and quietly retreated to the corner of the room. From now on, it was no longer his home court.

Looking at Alina lying on the bed, Jiu first reached out and felt Alina's pulse, and then said, "What medicine has she taken?"

Old Ivan answered honestly: "The inhibitors given by John's mother, nothing else."

At this time, Cannott in the corner suddenly said: "Five minutes ago, I injected her with a shot of a new inhibitor, the one you brought, type three."

Old Ivan raised his head suddenly. He had heard that Cannot had a new batch of medicines that could effectively alleviate the symptoms of ore disease, but the price was also sky-high.