Chapter 6 Chapter 6 "Highlanders"

Lie down for a whole day before waking up from the intoxication.When the severe headache, nausea and dizziness had subsided and it was finally possible to eat, Ki Kima rushed back from Sakawa village. "This is the first time I've heard such a scary thing in my life!" Ki Kima was standing and not sitting or not, clapping his hands and talking excitedly, so loudly that the whole hotel could hear him. "I ran back and forth from Gasala to Sakava this time, and the speed was record-setting. However, in such a short period of time, Heng evened out the 'Brick Lancaci' and became the hero of Gasala Town!"

"I didn't do anything great." Gen said, "I just remembered the crime-solving TV series my mother watched." "Case-solving TV series?" Ki Kima pondered, "Is that something in this world? Whatever it is, in short, Katz said, come to the police station when you feel better. Go there as soon as possible." Unexpectedly, not only Katz was in the detention center, but also the tiger-faced man Torun and the long-bearded old man whom he had never met before were waiting for him.The old man looks like a goat, and it seems that he is about to meet a new race.The old man's eyes were kind, shining with wisdom.

"This is Chief Jill who leads the thirteen police stations in Nahato." Chief Jill ignored Katz's blunt introduction, and held Gen's hands with a smile. "You are so young, you are really a brave 'traveler' to face those vicious thieves alone!" "But, without Ms. Katz, I would have failed!" Gen said frankly, "I want to know, what happened to the injured cat girl?" Katz replied: "After the fight, she had to suture the wound again, and she is resting now, and she will recover in half a month." She smiled and added: "The girl's name is Mina, and I will visit you later. one time?"

Gen blushed: "What about those two people? They threatened Mina, right? Didn't he take the initiative to help those guys?" Katz looked at the chief.Chief Jill sat on the chair and leaned over to Gen. "You're right. Mina was threatened by these two people and forced to steal things for them. How do you know that she pretended to be a victim to save you?" Gen explained that Mina whispered "I'm sorry"; Mina might use her tail to make that kind of knife wound on her back; Na reveals the truth and appears by her side. "You're so smart!" Ki Kima clapped his hands again, "Even if I'm old enough to be an elder, no matter how much I think about it, I can't think of such an idea."

This kind of situation-the method used by criminals or their accomplices to pretend to be victims-is common in crime-solving TV dramas. "Want to see those two people?" Katz stood up and shook the key of the cell.He followed quickly. "Those two little guys are brothers, refugees from the Northern Empire." Katz said as they passed the corridor, "It is said that five years ago, when the brothers were eight or nine years old, their parents paid a large sum of money to the underground economy. Qian, a family of four smuggled here on a merchant ship. But the merchant ship crashed on the way, and his parents died. The two brothers were washed to the beach on the border of Boao by the waves, and were accepted by refugee shelters. But they didn’t seem to like the unfree life there, so they escaped. Traveled all over the place, stealing for a living. Almost a year."

"But, since they risked their lives to travel south, why did they do such a thing?" "Oh, you just ask them!" The room where the two teenagers were held, even the one where Wataru stayed.One was lying on the bed, and the other—probably the elder brother, was sitting on the floor. When he saw Time, his eyes flashed. "Have a good time?" Katz greeted loudly, "I have brought friends who have suffered because of you. I think you will be willing to apologize to them?" The boy turned his face away, and spat on the ground with a "bah".The boy on the bed also got up and stared at Gen.Looking at it this way, it seems that the two faces are familiar.When Gen was bragging about "knowing the real criminal" in the hotel, the two of them did appear outside the pile of booing children.

They are cleaner and better looking than they were then.However, the hungry eyes remained the same. Toren was walking this way from the other end.At this time, the elder brother suddenly rushed forward, grabbed the iron grille with both hands and shouted: "You beast! Dirty thing! Don't come here, you are full of stink!" Gen was taken aback and couldn't help taking a step back.Torun was smiling all over his face, and he didn't mean to stop.Inside the iron gate, not only the elder brother, but also the younger brother glared at Torun and cursed at him. "Look, that's it." Toren and Gen stood side by side with their hands on their hips, "These children risked their lives to escape from the Northern Empire, and that empire is still in their hearts."

In the Northern Empire, the Anka ruling class considered other races to be inferior and had no value in existence, or put them in prison, or carried out massacres—— "Noisy, if you don't like this place so much, why don't you send you back to the north?" Katz's words made them even more furious: "You are Anka, but you help that beast!" "All those beasts must be exterminated!" "It is your empire that is going to perish." Katz said lazily, "Multiple races coexist, each exhibits its strengths, and if everyone is committed to development, the country can be prosperous and strong."

"Nonsense, blah, blah!" "Shut up! Friends of the beast! You are all inferior races!" The brothers kept yelling. Gen took a step closer to the iron gate and said, "Where did you abduct Mina? Why did you threaten her?" The two brothers looked at each other for a moment, then pointed to "hehe" and laughed. "What are you laughing at!" Gen roared angrily. When the elder brother suddenly looked serious, he put his face on the iron fence and cursed a few words in a low voice. "What are you talking about!" Wan moved closer to listen.At this time, there was a "click" in the throat of the elder brother, and he spit a mouthful of phlegm on Gen's face at close range.

"Wow!" He pointed at Gen who was in a panic and laughed.Then he said: "Look. When our orthodox Anka tribe unifies the Southern Continent, we will lock you all into shelters. You will be made to lick your boots every day and not be given food!" "It's not the boots, man!" said the younger brother, laughing and rolling over, "It's the ass! Let them lick their ass! They're all going to eat shit in the toilet!" Torun put his hands on his shoulders and said, "Go back to the office." Gen nodded.Katz watched the two teenagers with tired eyes for a moment, then followed.

"We've also heard about the dire situation there from the refugees from the north..." Katz whispered worriedly, and sat down in his chair, "but even if it's true, why would there be such a child? Woolen cloth!" Chief Jill was completely unmoved: "This is the superficiality of people, Katz. Sadly, this is also one of the natures that people have." Due to the extreme policy of discrimination against non-Anka people in the northern empire, the labor force was reduced and the national strength declined.In the country, even the food cannot be self-sufficient—Chief Jill explained to Gen. "A formal trade treaty has been concluded between the north and the south. The grain and daily necessities exported from the south to the north can only be traded in the quantity stipulated in the treaty. However, this alone is still far from being delivered to all the people in the north." It is said that the merchants in the north teamed up with the black market merchants in the south who broke the treaty to secretly trade materials and make a fortune from it. "The black market materials that flow into the north in this way are of course very expensive, and ordinary people in the north still can't get them, so refugees appear." "Then, who are the people who can live well in the Northern Empire?" Gen asked. "A part of the privileged class—" the chief slowly replied, "the current emperor Aglias VII's family, nobles, politicians, officials, businessmen and other wealthy classes." He shook his head slightly in the direction of the detention center. "According to my guess, the brother's parents must have belonged to such a privileged class in the past. Otherwise, they would not be able to raise enough money for the smuggling boat. But they are not high-ranking officials, but small officials. They lost it because of a mistake or some other reason. position, I can’t stay there any longer.” "If this is the case, when they come here, they should understand the difference between this side and the northern empire, but why don't they abandon their discrimination?" Chief Jill smiled and said, "It's not that all the refugees from the north are the same as those two brothers." "Yes, but!" "While failure and disillusionment are reality, wishes and ideas are ideals. And ideals are hard to disappear," said the chief. No. So, when you come to the south, the occasion is different, but you stick to the same idea, hoping that you will suddenly become a privileged class—that’s what it is.” "It's really stupid." Gen said disdainfully. "That's right. The idea of ​​discriminating against non-Anka people can be described as extremely stupid. But Gen." The chief still said calmly, "Sometimes, stupid things are much stronger and more touching than correct things. A narrow mind, an unhealthy mind, a mind as hollow as rotten wood, is more likely to be occupied by stupid things." Torun nodded his tiger-faced chin. "Neither our United Nations nor the 'Highland Guardians' are afraid of the Northern Empire. However, the thoughts that flow in from there are terrible. Those thoughts are almost equivalent to diseases, invisible to the eyes, but they are different from diseases. Not a sick body, but a weak mind." He recalled how the drunk man in the hotel cursed Ki Kima viciously, but the drunk himself was a poor wretch who was scolded by his aunt and ran away. "But Mr. Chief," Katz urged, "talk to Gen about that matter." The chief opened his eyes wide: "Yes, yes! I almost forgot the big thing." The chief looked at the faces of Heng and Ki Kima alternately, and said, "War, you are a 'traveler'. In order to see the goddess, you have to continue on your way, right?" "right!" "You need travel expenses, and you have to earn this money. So," the chief smiled. "You also become one of us, okay? Get paid while completing business, and go on the road at the same time. You can collect information through the police stations in various places, and learn how to get to the tower where the goddess is. I think this is the way to kill two birds with one stone." Mile." Gen can't help but look up at Kee Kima's big face.His long tongue swished out and licked the top of his head—a proposal that was quite surprising. "However, Lord Chief, you are so young." He said in a contradictory voice, "Isn't it too young to become a highland guard? There are so many dangers..." "However, he has already completed a job very well, and he is qualified." The chief said, looking at Ki Kema, "And, for the rest of the journey, you will be with you, right?" Ji Kema's cool face suddenly beamed with joy: "That's right! I have the elder's permission!" "Ki Kima, is it true?" Gen asked, "Will you stay with me?" "Of course!" Ki Kima gently hugged Wataru as if meeting him on the grassland for the first time, and put him on his shoulders, "Wherever we go, I will go with Wataru!" "Then it's settled!" said the Chief. The chief said "I want to attend the meeting of the coalition government" and left in a hurry.It was only then that Gen was formally introduced to the members of this police station.Katz is the person in charge here, Toren is the deputy, and there are three other Highland Guards.One was the big Anka, the other was the Aquaman who was smaller than Ki Kimah, and the third was the Piccolo who was like a jackrabbit. "It's an extraordinary experience, little one." Said the highland guard of the Flying Foot Tribe, "Katz does things quietly. In fact, from the beginning, he wanted to use you as a trap to catch real criminals. It's not like building a gallows. " "You really love to chatter, don't gossip." Katz grumbled.He stared intently at her face. "Is it a trap to catch me? You really didn't intend to hang me?" The corners of Katz's mouth curled down, he hummed, and said angrily, "Well, we also know very well that there is such a thing as court approval in the world." Geng laughed.At this moment, everyone except Katz laughed, and even Katz joined in later, and everyone burst into laughter. "Okay, although it should have been said earlier, let me explain. The so-called 'highland guards' first referred to the people who lived in the southeastern part of the Southern Continent and the Goze Highlands." Katz said, "Where is there, there is such a legend .” In ancient times, when the goddess created the world from chaos, in order to drive away the chaotic monsters waiting to make trouble, there was a fire dragon who always guarded the goddess.After the creation of the world was successfully completed, in order to thank the fire dragon for its work, the goddess turned it into a man, and gave him armor made of the dragon skin shed from it, awarded him the title of knight, and let him come to the ground. "The knight descended to the Goser Highlands and began to live among the local people. His descendants were also brave and righteous people, so after a long period of time, when they spread throughout the southern continent, the 'Highland Guardian' gradually became a 'brave and righteous' It is synonymous with "scholar" and "highly respected"." The current term 'Highlanders' certainly comes from this.It is said that a small militia group first formed under the name of the Highland Guard is also a descendant of the Fire Dragon Knight. "So, we all wear this fire dragon bracer." Katz raised his left hand, showing the red fur wristband on his wrist. "It's both a badge of membership and an admonition to us." When the Highlanders neglect their duties and dabble in viciousness, the Dragon Bracers are quick to ignite, burning its master. "This is yours." Katz handed the red wristband, "Wear it on your left wrist, please stand up. Then put your left hand on your chest, raise your right hand, and swear to me." "Goddess of Creation, we are the heirs of the fire dragon's will, the guardians of the law, and the real hunters. At this moment, the new comrades kneel at your knees and swear to you with their souls; punish the evil, save the weak, and drive away chaos. As strong guardians, join hands Towards the star of truth, till you return to dust." After waiting for the oath to be taken, Katz announced joyfully: "Okay, you guys are partners too!" In the next few days, Gen and Torun traveled all over the town of Gasala together, learning to patrol, and at the same time collecting as much information as possible about gems and the Mirror of Truth.The Sword of the Brave requires gems to enable.Ki Gemma received an urgent report that there was a wounded screwhead wolf that had escaped the net and was haunting the edge of the town, which the Shudinger Knights could not eliminate.He then set off with the other members.He said to Gen very energetically: "I'll ask the highland guards in other cities for you." Although there are indeed many people coming and going in the town of Gasala, no valuable clues can be found.Toren smiled and comforted Gen and said: "Hey, don't be too impatient!" However, Gen's heart was still anxious.Just because there is hope for the trip to the "fantasy world", I am more concerned about the situation of my mother in this world.How is mother now?How can I explain my disappearance in this world?As a superficial phenomenon, it should be the same as Shi Gang and his accomplices, it belongs to sudden disappearance, right?Is mom just worried, not desperate? It is said that there are not one or two wounded screwhead wolves, but a considerable number, so Ki Kima and the others never come back.As the person in charge, Katz had to stay at the police station, and she still had the job of investigating the two brothers who committed the crime. It seemed that she really wanted to show off her skills by swinging a whip, but she had no choice but to lose her temper every day, scolding the Schuttinger Knights for their incompetence, or a group of Stupid, even a screw-headed wolf can't deal with it. "Kats is proud of being a highland guard, and she really can't approve of any knight order that was improvised." In the evening, while writing the patrol report for the day, Torun told Gen in a low voice. "Schüdinger's Knights is an organization directly under the Federation Council. Compared with our Highland Guards, its history is much shallower. Although it is called a Knights Order, it is not all irrelevant, and there are also civil servants. The chairman of the Federation Council is also the chairman." Torun pushed his glasses and hugged his thick arms. "This is a symbol of the knight order's oath of allegiance to the parliament, and the speaker of the federal assembly is generally an old politician. That is to say, in case something happens, he will not go into battle with a knife. The so-called honorary position. Katz is Positive doers don't like the practice of putting on false titles for nothing." Gen felt that the Schüdinger Knights were an organization that combined the police and the army.But, listening to Torun, it seems that it had a political side to it as well. With such a question, Toren agreed: "It should be. It is a little different from a pure army. In addition, in the Shudinger Knights, the transferred security department similar to our Highland Guard is called 'Guerrilla', and two divisions have been established in each country. Because it is It governs the entire Southern Continent, so the guerrillas are more busy in the Southern Continent than we are. Quite a hard job." "The guerrillas, like the Highland Guard, are a mixed force of various types, right?" For some reason, Torun hesitated for a moment before answering: "The guerrillas are not. In the entire Shudinger Knights—especially the civil servants, there are various races, but only the guerrillas are all Anka." "why?" For example, the winged giant birds are suitable for guerrillas because of their mobility? "Hey, it's about politics." Toren stroked the bridge of his nose with his fingers, "Because in the fantasy world, the Anka tribe was the majority in the first place. All other races are counted together, and the population ratio of the Anka tribe is just Four to six. Anka people are the majority, and our other races are the minority. This has also become a difference in the right to speak in the parliament." Torun said, but, none of this has anything to do with Wataru. "The reason why Katz regards the Schudinger Knights as a thorn in the side is because of her personality. She hates pretentious guys. And..." He lowered his voice and said with a smile: "She, it was a long time ago It's about her—she was dumped by Captain Rummel of the First Partisan Brigade of the Schüdinger Knights. Since then..." "Hey, Toren, what are you talking about!?" With a sharper gaze than a whip, Torun shrank his neck suddenly, and his glasses almost flew out. "No! Gen. Let's go out and meet the doctor at the clinic." When the city gate was opened this morning, a businessman from Boao was standing outside the gate, which caused a bit of commotion.He himself said it was food poisoning, but the doctor at the clinic diagnosed the possibility of an infectious disease, so he was isolated in a small house outside the city.Strong wine was sprinkled around the city gate to disinfect, and it made Gen drunk again.If it is really an infectious disease, a notice must be issued. In the clinic, doctors are as busy as ever.Torun and Gen stepped forward to say hello, and the doctor said with a smile. "The doubts about infectious diseases have been clarified." "Hey, that would be great!" "However, do you want to hear what the businessman said?" The doctor lowered his voice so that the patients beside him could not hear him. "According to him, he suddenly became ill after drinking water from a well outside the town." It is said that the symptoms he described were not only similar to the infectious diseases suspected by doctors, but also had something in common with the situation of mistakenly drinking orchard insecticide. Torun's beard hopped up and down and asked: "So, doctor, do you mean that someone might have poisoned the well?" The doctor "shh" raised a finger: "Maybe there will be such a situation, that merchant thinks so. He said that in retrospect, the smell of the well water is a bit strange." "Where is that well?" Gen asked, maybe it was the one I went to. "Until we find out, it's better to cover it so that no one can drink it." "Yes. Make sure quickly." The merchant in the isolation room still had a pale face and looked uncomfortable, but he could speak.He said that the well he drank from was at the foot of the rocky mountain to the east of the town, not the one that Heng knew.This is an old well that was almost buried. I never drank water there before, because it was too hot yesterday, so... "The rocky mountain in the east..." Toren scratched his chin and thought, "If you come from Boao, wouldn't it be a long way to go?" The merchant scratched his head and said, "Actually, I heard that there are financial reports buried there. I usually travel between Boao and Shashaya, and this is the first time I've come here." At the hotel on the border with Shashaya, the guest in the same room told the businessman that there was a church ruin at the foot of the small rock east of Gazala, and the financial reports donated by believers in the past are still left there. Torun frowned and said to the businessman, "You have been deceived. I also know the ruins of the church. There is no treasure there! His original teaching is that no one should donate money." "Just be sincere?" "No, he asked believers to sacrifice their lives." The merchant shouted "Wow!"Gen asked, "Is that the church of the old God religion?" About ten years ago, a tourist named "Cakdas Vila" suddenly visited the town of Gasala. He claimed to be a doctor and practiced medicine.Because what he did was unimaginable, he was arrested by the then chief of security and expelled from the town.So he set up a hut at the foot of the rocky mountain beside the town, boasting that he could cure all diseases with the power of the holy water bestowed by the old gods, and began to engage in weird activities. "The police station also intervened many times, but this guy slipped away quickly. Then he slipped back to his old business without paying attention. Slowly, his followers—not patients, increased. From a certain point onwards , they started building churches." "The so-called old god, is it earlier than the old god?" "I don't know. It is said that it is a god who came from another world." After the completion of the church, Caquedas Villa turned into a priest, and the believers who were not patients worshiped him and began to live together.The believers opened up wasteland and farmed the land, and brought the harvested crops to Gasala, and bartered them for daily necessities.But they are poor, women, children, old people, all skinny. "Those guys were initially attracted by the words 'cure terminal illness', so there are many old, weak, sick and disabled mixed in. Everyone knows that it is impossible to maintain the church with believers alone." There are similar things in this world.Ever thought of a few news. "However, they are very united, and it is very difficult for the security station in Gasala to find an opportunity to intervene. One day, a fire broke out in the church late at night, and the highland guards rushed in to see the believers in the burning classroom..." Hand in hand, they sang praises to the Old God and his son, Cakodas Valar, while they quietly let the fire consume them. "Everyone tried their best to put out the fire, but it was a church built by inexperienced people. Except for the skeleton, most of it burned down. The corpses of believers were scattered all over the place." Because the remains were all charred, it was impossible to determine who Kakdas Vila was.The police station also does not know the exact number of people living together here. "Cakdas Vila may be dead, or he may have escaped. There is no way to find out, and there is no conclusion yet." Indeed, how could there be treasure in such a place.But the merchant looked at the sky resentfully and said: "But, the merchant said that when he passed by the rocky mountain at night, he saw the ruins of the church shining with light, reflecting it like daytime..." Torun laughed "hehe": "It's not right, such a huge gem." "I don't know how big it is. It is said to be a gem that emits wonderful light." "Gem!" Gen almost jumped up.Torun stopped immediately: "Don't worry, it's just a legend. Moreover, it's just from a businessman." "Want to investigate, though. Anyway, shouldn't the well be sealed off? Let's go right away!"