A Tale of Strategies For the Throne

The author has something to say: Thank you all for the cannonballs and nutrient solutions~~

I love you, give me a kiss

It is already late at night, and the moon tonight is hidden in thick clouds, with only starlight shining on the earth.

In the dark night, the starlight passed through the wooden fence and fell on the cheek of the blond child who was sleeping lightly.

The child tilted his head, half of his immature face was hidden in the shadows, and half was illuminated by blond hair reflecting the starlight. He closed his eyes, put one hand on his abdomen, and dropped the other hand to the ground, breathing evenly, and his long eyelashes like butterfly wings cast a light shadow on his milky white cheeks.

Suddenly, his hand hanging on the ground moved.

It didn't look like the child was moving on its own, but more like an external force was shaking it. It's just that the hand happened to be hanging in the shadow, making it difficult to see clearly.

The hand moved slightly again, and the strangeness of his body finally woke up Garlan from his light sleep. He opened his eyes and felt something shaking his hand. He subconsciously raised the hand and lowered his head. Look.

As soon as he raised his hand, the thing hiding in the shadow followed him out of the shadow.

The starlight shone on the little thing. The little thing stood upright on the ground, with its two little paws curled up on its chest, and made a squeaking sound towards Garlan.

It seemed to have identified Garlan's hand and kept squeaking towards it.

Little black mouse?

It was a black mouse that was slightly smaller than an ordinary mouse. The hair on its body was like jet black satin. At first glance, it was obvious that it was not a wild mouse but was raised by humans.

Garlan looked at the little black mouse that was squeaking at his hand that was wearing a black cloth wristband. He looked carefully and immediately noticed that a metal flashed through the fur of the little black mouse's neck under the starlight. luster.

He reached out and grabbed the little black mouse, and saw an extremely small copper pipe tied around the little black mouse's neck. When he caught the little black mouse, the little black mouse seemed to be struggling, but after sniffing at the black cloth wristband on his wrist, it calmed down and obediently let him take off the small copper bracelet on his neck. tube.

When Garlan saw the thin silk book hidden in the small copper tube, he was suddenly pleasantly surprised.

This is the secret code he and Brother Wang agreed upon!

Brother Camos and the others followed the little black beads he left behind. Looking at the little black mouse, Garlan suddenly understood. I am afraid that this little black mouse was trained to smell the little black beads. The smell brought me here.

I don’t have paper or pen at hand now, so I can’t reply to the letter.

Garlan thought for a while, shook his fingers, put two or three small black beads sewn into the cloth wristband into a small copper tube, and then tied the copper tube to its original place again.

Then, he fed the little black mouse some food left over from the night, sent it outside the cell door, and pointed at it outside.

This little black mouse was very smart. When Garlan pointed into the distance, it ran away.

Garlan watched it disappear into the depths of the night, and he breathed a sigh of relief. Now he could finally relax a little, sleep peacefully, and wait for Brother Camos and the others to come over.

He thought that if Brother Camos brought the cavalry, he would be able to get here before midnight tomorrow at the latest, and no more children would be sacrificed.

Thinking of this, Garlan couldn't help but think of what happened this evening.

When he was brought back, the guard went back and grabbed another one, just in time to catch the boy with the evil eyes who had pushed Clee out.

Although he felt a little relieved at the time, when he recalled the boy's numb eyes and desperate expression, Garlan still felt a little uncomfortable.

The selfish boy did make mistakes, but the biggest sin was this evil church.

It was its horror and gore that completely twisted that child.

But that’s where this evil church ends.

Wait until tomorrow, Brother Camos will make this sinful place that has swallowed the blood of countless children completely disappear!

…………

……………………

Late at night, there is no moonlight, and the weak starlight cannot penetrate the dense canopy of the jungle, so the forest is dark and quiet at the moment. Only the night wind occasionally passes over the canopy, shaking the branches and leaves and making a rustling sound. .

There were several people crouching low in the bushes, lurking quietly without making a sound, as if waiting for something.

The shortest figure among them was half-crouching in the shadow. The young man's face could not be seen in the darkness, nor could he see the look in his eyes at this moment. However, the faint starlight that passed through the gaps between the branches and leaves fell on the back of the young man's hand holding the dagger at his waist. , you can see the fingers that clenched the sword hilt so hard that the knuckles turned slightly white.

The tightness of the fingers showed that its owner was extremely nervous and urgent at the moment.

squeak.

A thin cry suddenly sounded in the silent night. A small black mouse emerged from the dense bushes, ran to a tall man who was squatting, stood upright, and squeaked at the owner who had tamed it. got up.

The boy's breath suddenly stopped and he turned his head to look. The man quickly grabbed the little black mouse and pulled off the copper pipe from its neck.

As soon as he opened it, the man's face immediately lit up with joy.

He saw that the thin cloth inside was gone, and a few small black beads poured out were spinning in his hand.

But he did not draw a conclusion immediately. Instead, he lowered his head and smelled it cautiously, and then confirmed that this little black bead was indeed specially made by him. It had something that only he, who was extremely talented, and the little black mice he trained could smell. Special smell.

"how?"

A low voice sounded in the darkness.

The boy's voice sounded calm, but the fingers of the hand illuminated by the starlight clenched harder.

"Prince Heimos, it's confirmed that it is indeed His Highness Gallan. He used this to tell us that he is inside."

The man replied in a low voice.

"The camp we saw from a distance should be where those children were detained."

"…………"

There was silence for a few seconds, as if one's breath had stopped.

Then, Heimos spoke.

"……Walk."

he said, crisply.

"Let's go back."

After saying that, he immediately stood up, took the lead, and walked out quickly.

The few cavalrymen next to them looked at each other and immediately stood up and followed.

In the dark night, Heimos ran outside quickly.

Although when he heard the rat-taming cavalry say that Garlan was inside, he wanted to sneak in secretly now and bring back that bold and self-righteous child immediately.

However, once you do this, whether you succeed or not, you will be alerted. There are only a few of them sneaking here now, and the number of enemies is far greater than them. It is impossible for them to rescue all the children safely.

Once the enemy is alerted, whether the 'thieves' want to transfer the children or simply kill them all, their operation will be considered a complete failure.

...He must not waste the opportunity that Garlan gave his life for.

Now, the only thing he can do is to rush back as soon as possible to find King Camos, and then lead the army to completely wipe out this deep valley camp and rescue the child who always makes people worry so much!

…………

……………………

This time, he no longer had to wait in fear. He wanted to sleep but didn't dare to, so Garlan slept until dawn.

When he opened his eyes, most of the morning had passed, and the sun was shining brightly on his face.

Garlan got up in a hurry, probably because his heart, which had been hanging there, finally fell to the ground. He felt that his whole body became much lighter, and his mood also improved.

After getting up, he saw a plate placed by the cell door with rich food inside. Apparently the person who brought him food left the food at the door without waking him from his sleep.

Although he didn't quite understand why he was suddenly treated so specially, Garlan was still very happy to be able to improve his food. You know, before meeting the fat man, the food given to him was really too much to swallow.

He took the plate in through the crack in the cell door, sat cross-legged on the ground, and began to eat heartily.

Well, now he doesn't have to do anything, he just needs to wait obediently for others to save him.

Ah, it feels so good to not have to think about or do anything, to be able to eat when you wake up, and to continue sleeping after eating.

Maybe he could take a nap after eating, and Brother Wang would call him when he woke up.

Garlan, who had no idea that he was talking about the life of a pig, continued to eat happily while feeling this way.

At this time, a gust of wind blew, carrying the conversation not far away.

The small prison hole in Garlan is probably specially used to detain special people. It is very close to the guard point, but far away from the large prison holes.

Therefore, the conversation between the plump man and several guards at the guard point was carried to him intermittently by the wind.

"What? Tonight?"

"Isn't this... too many? Fifty people. There are more than a hundred here in total. Half of them were gone in one go."

"The...priest...said that today is...the Mother Goddess of All Things'...special sacrifice day, so many sacrifices must be made."

"That's it..."

"So, you see there are no people today because... the believers are busy preparing for... the large-scale ceremony."

"But fifty...those people are very vigilant now. They keep a close eye on the children. It will be very difficult to catch them again."

"It's okay. When the time comes...that adult...will create the illusion that thieves are attacking Vinal City, and let us go into the city to catch them."

"That's fine."

"Get ready...the time for tonight's sacrifice...is ahead of schedule..."

In the cell hole, the blond child's mouth stopped chewing food.

He clenched the white bread in his hand and stared straight ahead, speechless for a long time.

After a long time, Garlan raised his eyes and glanced at the large prison holes in the distance.

You can see countless children inside from a distance. Those young children are moving and talking, and they are there alive. Little did they know that tonight nearly half of them would bleed dry on that altar of sin.

His throat squirmed and he swallowed the food in his mouth. Garlan continued to swallow the white bread in his hand silently, without saying or doing anything.

He lowered his head, soft blond hair falling in front of his eyes.

However, even the thick hair could not hide the sparkle in the child's golden eyes at this moment.

…………

The other companions were busy preparing for the important ceremony tonight. Even the dozen or so guards who usually guarded the outside had left. Only the chubby man and another guard were left here.

Anyway, those weak children are all locked up in the prison cave, and they don't have to worry about what those brats can do. It's enough to just leave two people here to watch.

The slightly fat man looked at the sky. The sun had almost completely sunk into the horizon, and the sky was completely dark. He estimated that in another hour or so, someone would come and escort fifty children to the altar to make sacrifices.

He was sitting there drinking coffee boredly when the equally bored guard next to him talked to him.

"I heard that you had a child. Why did you want the child? And you locked it up in a separate place?"

The fat man glanced at the guard and stood up.

"Come on, brother, I'll take you to see it."

The small cage where Garlan was kept was very close to the guard point. It was just around the corner. The fat man pointed at Garlan who was sitting at the door of the cell and said, "Look, how about it?"

"This..." the guard looked at it and smacked his lips, "She looks quite good-looking, like a porcelain doll, but so what if she looks good? Aren't they all going to be sacrifices?"

The fat man clicked his tongue.

"So you don't understand that this kind of beautiful child is loved by some nobles. If you sell it to those people, you can sell it for a big price. If you sell this child, you can use the money to buy a large number of slave children. Wouldn't it be more cost-effective? "

The tall and thick guard scratched his head. He didn't quite understand these twists and turns, so he subconsciously asked the most intuitive question.

"How much money can be sold?"

"At least this amount! Gold coins!"

The fat man held out five fingers.

The guard was startled.

"Five Aaron gold coins?! That's so much?"

Aaron Landis gold coins, referred to as Aaron gold coins, although each country has its own currency, but because Aaron Landis is a country with a long history and is the trade center of the continent, Aaron gold coins are the most popular on this continent. generic.

An Aaron gold coin is enough for an ordinary civilian family to live for a year.

The fat man sighed.

"Five? Don't be kidding, at least five hundred!"

The guard gasped and looked at the child as if he were a golden doll.

Coincidentally, the blond child also looked towards him, blinked his big eyes, stood up, grabbed the wooden bars of the cell door and stared at them.

The guard followed the child's gaze and found that the child was staring at his hands.

He was holding a cup of coffee in his hand. He was drinking it and brought it over while talking to the man next to him.

It was a dark drink with an extremely rich aroma that made people want to stop drinking it. It was bitter at first, but after drinking it, it left people with endless aftertaste. It seemed like it was magical and made people want to drink it again.

This is made of some black powder, something unique to the Cult of All Things. According to the upper-level priests, it is given by the Mother Goddess and can enhance people's souls.

After drinking this thing, you will indeed feel refreshed and awake, so many believers believe that this is indeed a divine thing given to them by the Mother Goddess.

Seeing the child staring longingly at the kefir in his hand, as if he was so greedy that he was seduced by the scent, the guard walked to the door.

The child grabbed the wooden railing and looked up at him. On his milky white face, his beautiful big golden jewel-like eyes stared at him. His eyes were soft and made people feel soft just by looking at him.

"You want to drink?"

He couldn't help but want to tease the kid.

The child nodded quickly, stretched out his little hand from the crack of the door, and looked at him expectantly.

The cute little appearance made the guard laugh and pass the cup over.

The greedy child took a sip from the cup, but after one sip, he spat it out and coughed non-stop. Apparently, he still choked on some liquid.

"bitter!"

Thinking it was delicious, the child was so miserable that he coughed violently, and his big eyes became misty.

That look made the guard laugh uncontrollably, and the fat man next to him also laughed out loud.

He smiled and said, "Don't worry, little one. After a while, whatever delicious food you want to eat will be given to you."

That's right, when it's sold, those nobles will definitely 'love' the child, and naturally they will give him anything delicious.

They were amused by the child's shriveled appearance, but they didn't even notice that the child, who was choking and coughing, shook his fingers holding the cup, and a few small black beads rolled into the black liquid in the cup, instantly melting into it.

Looking unhappy that he had been fooled, the child handed the cup back, as if he was angry, and turned it away and ignored them.

The guard took the cup back and happily returned to the guard point with the fat man. While drinking kefir together, they talked excitedly about the huge sum of five hundred gold coins and ate the sauced meat.

Suddenly, the fat man glanced out of the corner of his eye, and his expression suddenly changed.

He saw the child in the small cage not far away, kneeling at the door of the cell with a painful expression on his face, grabbing the wooden bars, twitching a few times, and then fell down.

My five hundred gold coins!

He screamed in his heart, and the fat man jumped up and ran over there.

When the guard saw it, he was startled and ran over.

When they arrived at the door of the cell, they saw the child hugging his body and twitching on the ground. They were immediately anxious. The guard hurriedly took out the key here from a bunch of keys on his body and opened the door.

"Why are you giving him Kofi! Don't you know that some people are allergic to this stuff!"

"I, I don't know! Didn't you stop me at the time?"

"Let's take a look at the situation first! This is five hundred Aaron gold coins -"

The guard knelt down in panic, reached out to pick up the twitching child, and wanted to see the child's condition. But suddenly, his vision went dark, his face froze, he closed his eyes and fell to the ground, motionless.

The anxious fat man next to him was startled by him. Not knowing what happened, he quickly knelt down and pushed him.

"Hey, what's the matter with you--"

He was so focused on the unconscious guard that he didn't notice the child who had been twitching in pain getting up silently.

The next second, a stone hit him hard on the back of his neck - the most vulnerable cervical vertebrae of the human body, knocking him unconscious. The fat man closed his eyes and fell next to the unconscious guard.

Garlan grabbed the stone, panting violently, then threw the stone away, knelt on the ground and pulled off the large bunch of keys from the guard's waist.

He raised his head and looked at the prison holes in the distance.

He just pretended to be sick and was twitching and rolling on the ground, so now he was covered in dust and his whole body was dirty.

But at this moment, on that dusty little face, the faint firelight on the stone wall fell into his golden eyes, making his eyes brighter than the sun at this moment.