Stray

Mr. Delaney sighed. After venting his anger, he was visibly calmer. Oliver's attitude didn't seem to be within his expectations - Mr. Delaney's throat moved at the handsome face full of harmless smiles, and he finally snorted in disdain.

"There is information." He raised his chest and swept his eyes between the several people. "Listen, I'll give you double the money, and you'll have to bring me the corpse - I know those evil things will turn themselves into ashes before they die, but there's always a way. , isn't it? I don't want the body, you can keep it for yourself."

"Thank you for your generosity." Oliver responded quietly. "But it's a bit difficult, we don't know much about the Grace Bluebirds in this area."

"Ask her, Merotti will tell her more." Mr. Delaney waved at Mrs. Delaney, who was still sobbing, "Don't try to fool me, I want mine My daughter saw the corpse with her own eyes, and I want her back to the way it was."

"How do you know she will definitely change back?" Nemo asked Oliver angrily, pushing Oliver's hand away from him.

"I asked my wife. Don't you understand human language, boy?" Mr. Delaney was reluctant to say a word. He stood up, the corners of his mouth turned down stiffly, and quickly left the living room. And as he left, Mrs. Delaney shrank more and more nervously. She shivered and scooped up the wet china shards, trying to suppress the choking in her throat—as if she were louder and they would have eaten her raw.

Nimo grimaced in the direction Mr. Delaney was leaving, a man he had no sympathy for. Listening to his tone, Merotti didn't seem to be a living person, but some decoration in the house.

"You... what do you want to know?" Mrs. Delaney rolled up her apron uneasily, staring at the ground without any intention of looking at them. "You...well, sit down first. Isaac's temper isn't that bad, he's just heartbroken."

Oliver sat down on a small sofa gracefully, and Nemo propped the back of the sofa with his elbows, not intending to sit down honestly. Ann and Adrian didn't move, they just stood there quietly.

"I'm actually a little concerned. According to your husband, Merotti doesn't seem to be the first person to fall in love with the blue bird." Oliver's tone softened. "You don't have much reaction to alienation. You already knew that something like that would happen?"

"...Yes, she's not the first. Someone has been alienated before." Mrs. Delaney still hung her head and said ramble. "I've only heard of six. God, what the **** did they think?"

"In other words, falling in love with the blue bird may lead to alienation?...Didn't you tell her?"

"Merotti is a good boy." Mrs Delaney covered her face with her hands, "Don't look at Isaac, he spoils her. We always give her the best education , the best food and clothing... Although as her mother, it may be a bit arrogant to say that, but she is really the smartest and most beautiful girl in town. She can't have that crazy idea, why tell her so dirty Dirty thing?"

"So you didn't tell her." Oliver frowned slightly.

"My Merlotti is loved by God, and the songs she writes have a soul...If she would marry Fritz, it would really be the happiest life I can imagine. Lavinia arranged such a bright life for her, how could she betray her like this..."

"Fritz?" Nemo had just noticed the name, and he couldn't help but interject. "Are you from your town too?"

"Yes, a pretty good young man. They grew up together, and I could tell that kid was in love with Merotti. My husband and I thought they could… But she rejected him!" Mrs. Delaney sniffed, "Fritz is the most perfect kid I've ever seen, and they're a match...they deserve to be together."

"But she told you she was in love with a blue bird."

We just... let her stay at home and reflect. The beast who bewitched her dared to come to the door. Isaac shot it blind in the right eye. This will work for you, right? It's blind in the right eye. , the wound should be fresh."

"And then she ran away?"

"Well...Merotti has been doing well, and we all thought she couldn't take that hardship and would come back on her own."

Ann slammed her fist against the wall, and Mrs. Delaney quickly shrank into the sofa.

"Sorry." Anmu said with a face, "Please continue."

"...But she never came back, and we didn't find any trace, so I thought...she might be alienated."

"A few weeks." Ann said nonchalantly, "She said she'd been dangling like that for a few weeks, and you only released the mission a few days ago."

"There is no way!" Madam Delaney twisted her fingers nervously. "We love her. According to the scriptures, we should have burned her to death in the first place. But we can't, she must just be confused..."

"The blue bird is blind in the right eye, what else?" Oliver interrupted her ramble.

"I saw it the other day, it was very tall and had an unusual white pattern on its chest. Merotti called it 'Pasototu'...As for the location of the tribe, Fritz could bring You go. He's the best hunter in our town, and he knows it better than anyone else." Lady Delaney stood up, her eyes flushed. "That kid knows about Merlot and Jade Bird, and he's been helping us find her. There's no need to keep it a secret from him."

"You must kill it." Her voice grew louder, filled with hatred. "There have been successful examples before. As long as you kill it, she will definitely be able to change back. Merotti's life can't be ruined like this, I beg you..."

"I see, please tell me the address of that Fritz." Oliver also stood up.

"I can probably guess what you're thinking." Nemo poked Oliver after leaving the draenei's house. "You want to find Pasototu and find a way for him to meet Merotti, right?"

"More than that." The overly standard smile on Oliver's face disappeared without a trace, and he rubbed the muscles of his face stiffened. "Merotti's father has a weird attitude."

"I can only tell he's mad," Nemo muttered.

"He hates the black seal." Oliver pondered, "Usually, would a group of criminals find their missing daughter? Even if his original intention was to kill Pasototu... Pasototu is not a human, and regular mercenaries can take on this job. I don't think he chose us just because it was cheap. If I'm not mistaken, the situation between them and the blue bird should be very tense - so tense that we are likely to Die on this errand."

"Well, it looks like he doesn't want to sacrifice the 'innocent' mercenary." Nemo scratched his head, "If we refuse the mission now, he will definitely find a new black seal, and the new Black Chapter is probably going to kill Pasototu. Good idea, Ollie—this mission is doomed to fail anyway, so let's meet them before we fail. Let's do our best, and run if we can't."

"I agree to continue, maybe I can find the reason for Miss Delaney's alienation." Adrian straightened his collar. "I still don't think it's a curse. If something very similar happened before, then the disease is almost ruled out. It should be a spell."

Ann, who has always been very concerned about tasks, did not participate in the discussion this time.

The grey parrot didn't enter the house, it stayed on the back of the Fuller goat guarding the luggage, and was now hopping leisurely. The scenery outside the house is still warm and lovely, probably due to psychological factors, Nemo always feels that they look a little less intimate.

"Oops, you're back." The parrot fluttered its wings. "Someone was sneaking around just now—"

An arrow flew past its head and nailed it to the wooden post of the shed. The grey parrot almost shrunk its head into its body, and Nemo could see that it was eager to teach the culprit by throwing a few abyss spells, but before it could open its mouth—

"Stop!" shouted a young voice.

"But that's the devil," another young voice complained, "Fritz, you heard him speak too!"

A dozen young people are walking in this direction. They were covered in shards of leaves and stalks of grass, and their leather armor was stained with fresh blood. The one at the head was young and handsome, with neat short honey-colored hair.

"You go back first." The young man at the head said to the others, and there was no command in his tone. "Thank you, but I'm enough alone. Divide my share of prey, and treat it as I invite everyone."

"But they're snakes, and there's four of them—"

"They're following Uncle Delaney's mission, so they shouldn't mess around. I'm just taking them to search the forest." The young man strode in front of them with a refreshing smile. "Hello, I'm Fritz Berman. I just received a summons from the Draenei family. Who is the head of the regiment?"

Oliver reached out his hand politely, and Fritz snapped it and shook it vigorously.

"I'll take you there right now." He said with a smile, revealing pointy tiger teeth. And his mates looked at them for a while, and then dispersed, not forgetting to look back a dozen paces away.

"Oliver Ramon." Oliver nodded.

After confirming that his friends had left, the smile on Fritz's face gradually disappeared, replaced by worry. "You... are going to kill the blue bird. Also, I'm really sorry for that arrow just now." He turned in the direction of Baglmore, and the grey parrot turned his head unceremoniously.

Fritz Berman's voice was unexpectedly devoid of hatred and disgust, and Nemo raised his eyebrows.

"Yes." Oliver replied decisively, as if he had no intention of telling the truth.

"I can send you to the clan," Fritz said, "but I don't recommend you do that. Pasototu has a high status in the clan, and if you kill him..."

He didn't use "it" and Nemo's eyebrows were raised higher.

"Mr. Delaney will push all of this on us and not start a war." Oliver's voice was not very enthusiastic. "please do not worry."

Fritz's face became a little more sad.

"Aren't you worried about Merlot?" Nemo asked curiously.

"Of course I'm worried about her, I'm worried about her mental state." Fritz shook his head and began to guide them. "I have taught her a lot of survival skills. She is a strong girl and will definitely survive in the wild. But if she becomes alienated..."

"You know alienation too?"

"The last person to be executed for falling in love with the blue bird was the Pegan family, I think you should already know. That person used to be my friend. They didn't plan to burn him, But he started to grow blue feathers. And the Pegans' faith is very..." Fritz twitched the corner of his mouth bitterly, "...firm."

"Merotti and Pasototu have been together for over three months, and she has only recently begun to alienate. If love is the reason—"

The young man's eyes lit up suddenly, and he became a little more alive in an instant. "She only started alienating recently? Have you seen her?" He leaned in front of Nemo and spoke quickly. "She... is she okay?"

Nimo was stunned: "Not very good, but she is still alive."

The brilliance in Fritz's eyes dimmed a little. He lowered his head, wiping the dagger with the oiled hide as he walked.

"...if love is really the reason." Nemo continued dryly, "Why is it taking so long?"

"I don't know, Lavinia may be cursed because of her mood." Fritz's voice was dull, "My friend...From falling in love with the blue bird to appearing alienation, it is only a matter of time. A month. When Merotti rejected me, I learned that she was in love with Pasototu. Then she was locked up."

The buildings are getting sparser and they have reached the edge of the forest.

"You didn't see her? ... You still like her, right?" Oliver suddenly asked, and he slashed the vines in front of him with his sword.

"I love her. But until then, we were friends." Fritz stopped wiping the dagger, "Merotti rejected me very clearly, and I respect her will. It's a pity that her parents can't seem to accept this, and I don't want her to misunderstand... For example, I want to take the opportunity to pester her and so on."

"How far is it from the Blue Bird tribe?" An who had been silent for a while suddenly spoke up.

"It's still a long walk, but I should be able to arrive before dark. I can only send you to the surrounding area. They know that I am from Vincent Town, and once we meet, I will definitely—"

"Then you'd better hide." The female warrior said in a deep voice, "They are already here."

Fritz's movements are very crisp. He didn't ask any further, his fingers drew a simple spell in the air, and after disappearing his breath, he slid into the bushes beside him like a snake. The whole process didn't make a single sound.

Four huge cyan figures descended from the sky, bringing up a lot of falling leaves. Merotti's appearance is indeed far from the real Grace Bluebird - the head of the Grace Bluebird is slightly similar to that of a human, and the eyes are not on the sides of the head like ordinary birds, but they do have hard black beak. The physique seems to be stronger than that of humans, and the whole body is covered with beautiful light blue feathers.

Their arms are like slender wings, and the legs are attached to sharp, scaly claws. And on their back waist was another pair of larger wings, completely different from what Nemo had imagined before—a very strange and beautiful creature.

One of them crossed his arms in front of him and folded his wings behind his waist. A rough piece of paper floated in front of Oliver, with fancy handwriting that did not match the texture of the paper at all, and only one sentence was written on it.

There is also a crossed-out "hot" between "New" and "God".

Oliver's and Nemo's expressions distorted at the same time. In the great spirit of sharing the pain, Nemo solemnly handed the note to Ann—whose face puckered up like he'd chewed through an unripe plum. Only Adrian, who finally got the note, remained unmoved and calmly handed the note back.

"Can they understand?" The blue bird who took back the note said to the other one, "These people seem to be the scum of human beings, and I can't understand the thoughts of the gods."

Nemo was pinned to the ground by shock. He could understand their words, but he didn't have time to care about that right now.

It was the first time he heard such language.

Its melody is words, pure and beautiful. He had never heard a tune like this before, as if he had lived in the silence of the ground for twenty-three years, and he had just climbed out of the mud and heard such a thing as "sound" for the first time. All the music he had heard before had lost its meaning at this moment, became noisy and thin, and quickly faded from his memory.

"You...the angel you just mentioned." After being shocked, he answered instinctively, "Is it a blond man?"

"Are you talking to them...?" Oliver looked at Nemo in shock, "But they didn't say anything?"

The blue birds also focused their attention, they whispered in beautiful voices, and stared suspiciously at the black-haired youth in front of them.

"Can you hear?" The blue bird closest to them asked tentatively, "Why do you know our language? No, no, it's pure thought communication... You are what?"

"I'm human." Nemo gestured in vain, "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Nemo, you..." Oliver grabbed one of his wrists. "You're talking to them, aren't you?"

"Yes." Nemo took a deep breath and looked solemn. "Oli, I gotta say... There's nothing wrong with Merlotty Delaney. She's telling the truth."

"They're not dumb."

(m..=)