A strange world

Chapter 1288 Chapter 210. Killian’s past

Before Annan returned to Golden City, the information about him was sent to Golden City first.

Annan Reeves has a really good relationship with the Empire, and there are even rumors that he is the illegitimate son of the Montreal gold family... but he is really rich.

Intelligence said that Liberty City had commercial streets all over the world, earning him millions of gold nuggets every year.

Lord Raymond simply couldn't resist the temptation to bite off a piece of meat from Annan.

In addition, there are other rumors that Annan likes foreign races, noble ladies, and other people's wives and daughters. These are not worth mentioning. Compared with the habits of many nobles, Lord Raymond felt that Annan was too immature.

But being immature also has its advantages.

Lord Raymond called for his eldest son, who, if nothing else, was also the future lord of the Broken Mountains: Elvis Raymond.

"Prepare a banquet for our guests and send invitations to all the nobles with beautiful wives and daughters."

"Annan Reeves? Why, father, isn't he our enemy?"

Lord Raymond stared at his son, his narrow eyes without a trace of affection: "Elvis, I don't want to say it a second time. If you can't do it, I'll let Killian do it!"

"...I'll be ready, Father."

Elvis Raymond lowered his head.

…

At this time, Annan, played by Black Widow, was walking on the street with Killian.

"Where are you taking me?" Killian asked.

"Don't be impatient, you'll know when we get there." Black Widow said, continuing to wander seemingly aimlessly.

Winter is coming soon, and many stores are selling coal. Those smooth and shiny coals were piled in baskets, with a wooden sign saying "1 silver, 1 basket" erected next to them.

The price is not cheap, but there are many people buying it, and the baskets piled outside many stores have been sold out. After all, if you don’t light a fire in winter, you will really freeze to death.

A man walked to the door of the store and took out a silver coin.

"A basket of coal!"

The waiter came out and said: "2 silver coins per basket."

"Isn't it written one silver and one basket?" The man pointed at the wooden sign.

“Coal is 1 silver coin, and the other 1 silver coin is the tax paid to our great lord.

The man reluctantly counted out two silver coins and handed them to the waiter. The waiter walked into the store with the money and came out after a while empty-handed and gave him 1 silver coin.

"Why did you find another 1 silver coin?" the man asked puzzledly.

The waiter replied: "Sorry, all the coal is sold out."

"I don't want to buy it. I want my silver coins back! You can't do this! You can't do this!"

The man was dragged away by the sheriff called by the waiter. The black widow, who had been looking at him for a long time, looked back.

"Don't you think it's too much?"

"Is it too much? Without the protection of the Raymond family, the eyeing nobles outside will tear them apart, so it is reasonable to collect taxes."

"Really? He paid the money and didn't get what he deserved. Instead, he had taxes deducted."

Killian was speechless and couldn't admit that there was really a problem, so he could only say stiffly: "Is this where you want to take me?"

"Since you are in a hurry."

Black Widow wasted no more time and led Killian straight to the destination.

When they were about to arrive, a silhouette in black robes appeared in front of them.

"Mr. Mora?"

Killian's good mood before going out completely disappeared: "Why are you here? Uncle asked you to come?"

Mr. Mora ignored Killian and walked up to the Black Widow, lingering in a circle.

"You are not him..."

Mr. Mora spoke hoarsely.

Just when Black Widow thought he had seen through her and was thinking of an excuse to frame him, the man in black robe left as inexplicably as he came out of nowhere.

"What's wrong with him?" Black Widow frowned at his back and pinched her nose.

"I've never liked him either." Killian said, fanning the air.

No one likes a dank, smelly freak. If he hadn't been a genuine epic mage, Killian would have wanted to persuade his uncle to get rid of him.

Resuming their journey, Black Widow finally brought Killian to their destination—the collection they visited yesterday.

Killian stopped and looked at her silently.

"I can see that you have an affection for this place. So why are you hiding?"

Black Widow thought she was going to use the Guidance Technique, but she didn't expect Killian to refuse. After passing through a deeply hidden complex, he walked in on his own initiative.

Killian looked at the collection on display, his face filled with stories—but he wasn't going to tell them.

This was not the purpose of Black Widow bringing him here. She quietly used the guidance technique: "Do you mind telling your story?"

"...There's nothing to say."

“Friends talk to each other.”

"I……"

"Then swap, how about it?" Black Widow continued to put the weights on, "You tell me yours, and I'll tell you mine."

Killian remained silent.

"Shall I say it first?"

"……good."

Annan's days in the North were only known to the circle of people around him, and Black Widow was obviously not among them. However, people in Liberty City are familiar with the story of Annan after he came to Middle-earth.

Black Widow said it again, and then felt that she loved Annan even more.

Killian also opened his mouth slightly in surprise: "Really?"

"When have you ever seen a lord as young as me?"

For a moment, Killian spoke out in a tone that was filled with jealousy but mixed with a hint of admiration: "...It's really amazing."

"It's your turn."

Killian looked at the display case, and the glass reflected his dazed eyes.

"There's nothing much to say... I've been at the bottom since I can remember, and I've suffered a lot because I have no family. Because the collection is free and you can come here to keep warm in winter, I always come here..."

The reality is far more complicated and heavy than Killian's understatement: How can a boy without a home and no relatives live in the Golden City, which is even colder than the outside world?

He joined a group of children who were also homeless and gathered together for warmth, and used all his strength every day to survive. The collection does not welcome untidy and dirty children. In order to come in to keep warm, he had to wash himself clean in the ice water in winter and shivered into the collection.

He fought with a group of children older than him for a piece of bread, and was stabbed by a child of the same age for a copper coin, and crawled back with his intestines flowing out.

One day, they heard that a gang was recruiting people, and the children who mustered up the courage went over, and then they were caught by the gang and wanted to sell them.

They tried to escape but failed. They were caught by gangsters, beaten and locked in a dog cage.

Just when he was about to be broken his hands and feet like other disobedient children and pushed out to beg, the Raymond family found him and said that he was the noblest bloodline of the Broken Mountains, named Killian Raymond.

"No wonder..."

No wonder Killian is older than Elvis Raymond. He should be the heir to the great lord, but he is forced to call his father uncle.

So he is an illegitimate child left outside?