Chapter 10 Act VI-1

Holo stopped suddenly, but presumably it wasn't because a mouse was squealing in panic at her feet. Lawrence turned to Holo in the pitch-black darkness.Since he is still holding Holo's hand, he won't get lost in the direction where Holo is. "What's wrong?" "Don't you feel the air vibrating slightly?" Although Lawrence wasn't quite sure where the two of them were in the city, he had been smelling clear water since just now, so he guessed it should be near the market.Although the situation was not very clear, Lawrence at least knew that they were a little far away from the river that ran parallel to the outside of the town.

In this way, it is not difficult to guess that there are people and carriages going back and forth directly above them.And it's only natural that the air vibrates. "Come from above?" Holo said, and Lawrence could feel her looking around.However, this passage is not only the front but also the rear. "If you have a beard, you can know better...] "Is it because you are overthinking?" "No... there is a sound, it's a sound. Water? It's the sound of splashing water..." Lawrence's eyes widened. He had a premonition that it was their hunter.

"The voice is coming from the front. This won't work, step back." Lawrence turned and ran out before Holo could speak, and Holo hurriedly followed. "Is this the way to the end?" "The direction we planned to go just now is a road leading to the end, and there will be a fork in the direction of return. After entering the fork, it will be a complicated maze." "Even we are not confident that we won't get lost... yo?" Holo stopped in the middle of speaking.Because Holo stopped suddenly, the hand that was holding her was released, and Lawrence stomped once.He turned back in a panic, when Holo seemed to be facing backwards.

"Cover your ears." "What's wrong?" "Even if you run, you will be caught. The other party has let the dog go." If it is pursued by specially trained hounds, it is all over.Just as Holo's eyesight could see clearly in this darkness, presumably the hound could attack accurately with its nose and ears.The two of Lawrence didn't have any weapons that could fight the hounds, at most they only had the silver dagger that they wore at all times. However, we also have a companion like a hound, that is Holo the Wise Wolf. "Hehe, that sound sounds stupid."

Lawrence did hear the faint bark of a dog after Holo finished speaking. Or maybe it's just an echo.But judging from the overlapping barks, there should be more than two hounds. What was Holo going to do? "It's embarrassing if the dog is too stupid to understand...Anyway, you should stop your ears first." Lawrence listened to what Holo said, and he guessed what Holo was going to do - howling. "Suck--" · There was a sound of inhalation · The sound of inhalation lasted for a long time, making one wonder how Holo could inhale so much air with such a slender body.After a moment's pause, the wolf howl sounded like a ground cow turning over.

"Aww-!" The power of that voice was strong enough to vibrate the exposed skin of the hands and face.People can't help but wonder whether the underground tunnel will collapse because of this. Lawrence listened to the howl of the wolf as if no matter how strong the strong man was, he could tear his liver apart.On the way, he also forgot that it was Holo's voice, desperately blocked his ears, and shrank himself. Lawrence recalled the experience of being hunted by wolves in the mountains and grasslands.Countless wolves not only know the terrain well, but also have motor cells that humans cannot fight against.It all came together, and the howling of wolves was the harbinger of it.Because of this, in some villages, even when a plague occurs, all villagers will imitate howling wolves in order to drive away the plague.

"Cough...cough...throat...our throat..." When the growling disappeared, leaving behind a thunderous lingering sound, Lawrence lifted his hands from his ear and looked up, only to find Holo coughing frequently in the darkness.Such a huge sound from such a small throat, of course it will. However, there is no water for her to drink here. "We want to eat... apples...cough!] "You can eat as much as you want from now on. Where are the hounds?" "Fleeing with tail between legs." "Then we should run away too. They heard the voice just now. They must know we are here."

"Do you know the way?" "Forget it." Before Lawrence was about to take a stride, he turned to Holo and held out his left hand, which was held tightly by Holo. After confirming that Holo grabbed his hand, Lawrence started to run.At this time, even Lawrence's ears could faintly hear the roar of humans. [However, how could it be discovered? " "They probably didn't know we were here from the beginning. They probably couldn't find us on the ground, so they just happened to meet us after diving underground." "Is it?" "If they knew we were here, then they would have been caught between... attacking...?"

"So that's true, it does make sense." Lawrence and Holo heard the indistinct sound from the other end of the straight passage they had come before, and saw a faint light shooting into the dark underground passage.That was the location where the two of Lawrence had come down from the underground tunnel earlier. Lawrence's life along the way was not so optimistic that he thought it was the people from the Myron Firm who came back to save them. Lawrence took a short breath and quickened his pace, just as he would do when cold water was poured over his head. Immediately after, the voice rang out from the underground passage: "Miron Company has betrayed you! It is unnecessary to run away now!] The two of Lawrence turned into the fork in the underground passage as if they wanted to avoid these words, and similar words came from behind again.

Once things turn out like this, you'll hear the same thing everywhere you go.Although Lawrence continued to run regardless.But Holo seemed uneasy and said: "We seem to have been betrayed.] "It must have been sold for a good price. Anyway, as long as you are here, at least the branch of Myron Trading Company in this city can be overthrown." "...I see, it must be quite a high price." Assuming that Lawrence and Holo were really betrayed, then the only choice that Mahat could make was to exchange the branch of Myron Trading Company.If Mahat makes this choice, it means that he is trying to bankrupt the branch to enrich himself, and then fly away with the money.But Lawrence doesn't think that a huge business like Myron's will allow such a thing to happen, and he doesn't think that Mahet will think that he can escape the pursuit of Myron's. In other words, this is just what the other party said deliberately A lie, but for Holo, who was not used to such things, it seemed to be more than useful.

Although Holo nodded understandingly after hearing Lawrence's answer, she held Lawrence's little hand a little harder. Lawrence squeezed Holo's hand tightly as if to relieve her little anxiety, and said, "Okay, turn right here..." [Wait a moment. ] Without waiting for Holo's reminder, Lawrence stopped as soon as he turned the corner. From the other end of the slowly winding underground tunnel, I saw the flickering lights, and heard the voice of "Found it!". Lawrence immediately took Holo's hand and ran straight along the road he came from.The people who found the two of Lawrence also started to run, but Lawrence could no longer hear their footsteps. "You, this way?" "I recognize it, no problem." Lawrence's tone of reply became irritable, not because his breathing became short of breath, but because facing the intricate and wonderful structure of the underground tunnel, Lawrence only remembered what the Myron Company had told him in advance. He, connecting the passage between the entrance and exit. Lawrence's claim of knowing his way is not a lie, but it's not a fact either. If he could remember how many forks he passed, where he turned right and where he turned left, that would be a fact.But as long as you remember one place wrong, it becomes a lie. The illusion of a blank mind flooded Lawrence's mind.It was like hearing the sound of rats running away like a gust of wind shaking the woods in your head, and it was like feeling when you tripped over a collapsed stone wall.For traveling merchants who had to keep in mind all claims receivable or payable, they had considerable confidence in their memory.However, Lawrence's confidence that he could remember the route was lost not long after he spoke. Because the underground passage is too complicated. "It's a dead end again." After turning right at the T-junction, proceed only a short distance to the bottom of the road.Lawrence, who had become short of breath, kicked the wall involuntarily after he finished speaking.Although Lawrence's actions clearly showed anxiety, Holo, who was also breathing rapidly, couldn't help but tighten his grip on Lawrence's hand. It seems that the Medio firm is bound to catch the two of Lawrence here, and they have sent quite a few men. Of course, this was based on the roar and footsteps that echoed in the underground tunnel. The echo in the underground tunnel was too loud, and even Holo couldn't grasp the correct number. In this way, under such anxious mood, The sound of footsteps in their ears reminded the two of Lawrence that a large group of ant-like hunters were chasing them. "Damn it, let's go back first. I can't remember any more ways." If you forcefully move forward and cause the routes in your memory to intersect, it will be irreparable. Although Lawrence's memory of the route was a little fuzzy at the moment, seeing Holo nodding in agreement, he didn't tell the truth, because Lawrence didn't want to upset Holo. "Can you still run?" Lawrence had always prided himself on being a walking traveling merchant, and despite his shortness of breath, he kept running.However, Holo could only move her head to answer. Perhaps Holo's human form couldn't act like a wolf. "As much as possible." Taking advantage of the short breath, Holo spoke briefly. [Find a suitable place..." Lawrence wanted to continue to say the word "rest", but because he saw Holo's gaze, he reluctantly swallowed the words. Holo's pupils shone dimly in the darkness. They were the eyes of a wolf calmly grasping the surrounding situation in the dark forest. Now that Holo was his companion, Lawrence felt at ease.Lawrence pricked up his ears and lowered the sound of his breathing. Pacha, pacha, the sound of the other party's cautiously advancing footsteps came from nearby. Going right from Lawrence Station, you will come across a fork in the road.The sound of footsteps should have come from somewhere in the fork in the road. The way the two came was directly in front of them after turning around.As long as you go back to this road, there are several forks on the left and right sides.It is the best policy to wait for the opportunity to run back the way you came, and then escape into the side road. Lawrence pulled Holo's hand slightly forward, motioning to run, and he felt Holo nodding slightly. Pacha, pacha, the sound of footsteps approaching slowly, although the sound coming from the wall is somewhat reassuring, but the men of the Medio firm are behind them, running non-stop as if deliberately making footsteps, and using their unique cipher conversation. Lawrence couldn't help feeling that he and Holo had fallen into each other's trap, and they just had to pull up the net and catch someone. Lawrence swallowed his saliva through a stinging throat, waiting for the opportunity to run. It would be nice to catch someone from the Medio firm yelling. It didn't take long for Lawrence to finish praying like this. "Ha ha……" From the direction of the footsteps came the sound of weak breathing, and someone wanted to sneeze. Lawrence judged that the voice was a blessing from God, and he squeezed Holo's hand tightly. "Chirp!" Judging from the small sneezing sound, the other party seemed to feel that something was wrong, and tried hard to cover his mouth with his hand to cover his voice. However, such a volume was enough for the two of Lawrence to run quietly. After Lawrence and Holo ran out quickly, they turned into the first fork on the left. At this time, a black shadow flashed in front of his eyes. Lawrence realized that it was not the shadow of a mouse until he heard the low growl that should have been Holo. "Wurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr!" "Wow! Damn it, it's here! It's here!" In the darkness, Lawrence saw a black figure resembling a small child swaying from side to side, and then he felt a heat on his left cheek.Lawrence touched his cheek, and the sticky feeling in his hand made him realize that he had been cut by a knife. By the time Lawrence noticed the black figure swaying left and right, it turned out that Holo suddenly bit the arm holding the knife, he had already swung his fist desperately. Traveling merchants sometimes have to climb over mountains and across grasslands with luggage heavier than their own weight, so their fists are harder than silver coins. Lawrence clenched his right fist and swung it out with all his strength, right above the mouth of the screaming man whose arm Holo had bitten. A disgusting, "click" sound wrapped around Lawrence's fist like a frog being crushed. Lawrence reached behind Holo's back with his other hand, grabbed her clothes and pulled her closer to him. The black shadow hit by the fist slowly fell backwards, and Lawrence didn't even have time to speak.Just ran back directly, trying to find other passages. However, not long after running out, Lawrence discovered that the other party sneezed just now.Instead, he deliberately set a trap to frame Lawrence and Holo. Boom!After a burst of impact, Lawrence felt the blood flow backwards all over his body. Lawrence stepped back, and the moment he was about to turn around, the knife came straight towards Lawrence's body. "God! Please forgive my sins.] Hearing this sentence, Lawrence was convinced that the other party planned to kill him. In fact, the other party was waiting for an opportunity to attack while holding his breath in the darkness. He must have thought that he had killed Lawrence. However, God did not abandon Lawrence.The knife stabbed just above Lawrence's left wrist. "Before you confess your sins..." As Lawrence spoke, he raised his foot and kicked the man's crotch upward. "Repent your usual words and deeds first!" Lawrence kicked away the man who passed out without making a sound, grabbed Holo's arm with his right hand and ran quickly. The footsteps of the men of the Medio firm gradually approaching them, echoing the shouts from all around, reached the ears of the two. The two of Lawrence turned into a fork on the left, and immediately turned right again.It wasn't that Lawrence had some tricks, or that he remembered the way. Lawrence just wanted to run as hard as he could, and the current situation made him unable to stop. His left arm was as heavy as if stuck in a swamp, and it was as hot as being pierced by a red-hot iron rod.However, the left palm was cold, presumably because of the continuous flow of blood. According to this situation, it should not last long.Lawrence was often injured on the road, and he probably knew his physical limits. Lawrence ran desperately for an unknown amount of time. In his gradually blurred consciousness, roars and footsteps resounded interlacedly, like a downpour on the grassland in the middle of the night, constantly eroding Lawrence's head. When these voices gradually drifted away from Lawrence's consciousness, not only did Lawrence have no energy to take care of Holo, he was not even sure how long his body could last. "Lawrence." Lawrence heard someone calling his name.I thought death was still coming. "Lawrence, are you alright?" Lawrence came back to his senses.When he realized it, he realized that his body was leaning against the stone wall. "Huh, it's okay. We called several times, but you didn't respond." [...Um...it's okay, I'm just a little sleepy. ] Lawrence tried to force a smile, but didn't know if he succeeded.Holo hammered Lawrence's chest angrily and said, "Cheer up, we'll be there in a second.] [...to where?" "Didn't you hear? It smells like sunshine. We just said that there is a place leading to the ground?" "Oh, um," Although he had no impression at all, Lawrence nodded and answered.He moved away from the wall.When shaking his body and preparing to take a step, he found that his left arm had been wrapped with a cloth strip instead of gauze at some point. [...This gauze? " "Let's tear off the sleeves and use them as gauze. You don't even know this?" "No, I know, it's fine." Lawrence did answer with a smile this time, so Holo didn't say anything more.It's just that Holo will be ahead as they keep going. "It'll be there in a second. Go to the end of that passage and turn right again...] Hero held Lawrence's hand and turned her head frequently while talking, but stopped halfway through. Lawrence also It was very clear why Holo had stopped. That was because there were footsteps coming from behind. "hurry up." Holo urged in a low voice that was almost hoarse, and Lawrence squeezed out the last strength to move forward. Although the sound of Bolai's footsteps was very close, it still sounded a little far away.Just be able to climb out of the ground.Given Lawrence's serious injury, it shouldn't be difficult to ask the residents of the city for help. As a result, the men of the Medio firm must not be willing to cause commotion in full view, so they just need to take advantage of this time to get in touch with the Miron firm, and then try to let Holo escape alone.The most important thing now is to get in touch with Milon Trading Company and make a new plan. While thinking about these things, Lawrence dragged his heavy body forward, and finally saw the light as Holo said. The light seems to be shooting from the right to the left at the end, and the footsteps behind are getting closer.Carrying on like this, though, seems to have a chance of a successful escape. Holo tugged on Lawrence's right arm and urged him.Lawrence did his best to keep up. The two finally turned right at the end. A bright light is seen in the deepest part of the passage. "This leads to the ground, and we'll be there in a second." Holo's voice revived, and Lawrence moved forward as if inspired. This hunt is one in which the prey wins by a narrow margin. Lawrence was so convinced. At least until Holo spoke in a crying voice.Yes. "how so……"