Chapter 16 Chapter Sixteen Lillis

Standing on the back of the mountain with a panoramic view of Lilis Town, Heng felt that this was not the first time he had come here, he had been here before, and the scenery seemed familiar.The colorful triangular roofs of every household, the church buildings with bell towers, the brick-paved roads, the greenness of the trees, and the cheerful expressions of people in unclothed clothes strolling in the market—all of them are familiar. ——By the way, it's exactly the same as the magic school in "Saga II" - Wadsdam Town! "What a wonderful town!" Mina was fascinated, "This is the place where beautiful handicrafts can be made, you can't go wrong!"

The three first went to the police station in Lilis Town.In case of a long stay, look for a job here. "Why, are you Highlanders? It's amazing how long I've lived." The person who received them was the chief of the police station, who introduced himself as "Pam", a bald Anka uncle. "My real name is Datz, my surname is Pam Skarov Myer Etostoravsky, but it's troublesome. I'll let everyone call me 'Pam'." Although there are four highland guards registered here, all of them, including the director, are from the Anka tribe.It is said that in the beginning, 80% of the residents of Lillis Town were Anka, and there were very few other races.

"Handwork is the work of the Anka tribe. You see, the shape of the hands and fingers is long enough to do delicate work. Moreover, if the cat clan like the lady, or the water people like this big big brother, Staying next to the stove all day to process glass and precious stones must not be able to withstand the high temperature." Director Pam was a blunt talker who repeatedly asked for an introduction to the trip.He heard about the volcano in Maqiba and the rollover accident of Dalu Baba on the road, his eyes widened in surprise, and he said it was the first time he had heard of it.Gen thought, he is really laid back, very different from Ms. Katz.

"Lillis is a stable place. The so-called big things that happen here are nothing more than a child who goes picking fruit in the woods and gets lost, or an explosion in the studio next to the government office." Isn't an explosion a big deal? "It's just a failure to make fireworks. No one was hurt, and it's night. It's so beautiful!" There are several spaces for guarding all that can be lived in.During the stay, you can do the work of patrolling the market together, or you can be on duty.The three of them were listening to Director Pam's explanation when a beautiful girl with long black hair brought tea.

"Oh, this is my daughter, her name is Erza. She's here to help with chores." "Hello. Welcome to come from afar." Erza smiled, and a dimple appeared on his right cheek.She is about fifteen or sixteen years old.If it's a girl in this world, it's time to go to high school.In high-end Chinese restaurants tea is sometimes served on petal-thin white porcelain—Elza's cheeks and forehead conjure up such a scene, so perfect and beautiful it's hard to believe it's real. At this time, Wataru suddenly remembered Omatsu Kaori, her face was completely different.However, the elf-like slenderness is very similar to the delicate charm, as if it came from another world, a weak beauty.

——How is Kaori-san? Just when he was in a daze, Mina poked him with her elbow and made two "cough coughs". "Don't you want to ask about Meihe?" This is something to ask.Gen took his eyes off Erza's face, and it took a lot of effort. "A mage who is about the same age as Gen-jun? This..." Director Pam tilted his bald head and began to think. "Our place is different from Gasala. We don't check the people who come in and out of the gate. You can't know immediately what guests have come. Find a few hotels and ask." "Is that so..." Although I didn't think it was easy to see the above, I was still disappointed after all.

"However, as far as the child mage is concerned, it is still very eye-catching. If he stays in Lillis, I don't think it will be too much trouble to find him. After all, we are also highland guards." The director suggested that there is still some time before the regular inspection, so as to get familiar with the environment, let's go for a walk.When Ji Gema heard this, he stretched out his huge body. "In this case, I want to go to Tony Van Lun's studio, can you tell me how to get there?" In an instant, Pam's fruit-like round eyes turned into sinister claws, "What? Fan Lun?"

Erza, who was serving tea to other highland guards, shook his hand and fell to the ground. "I'm sorry." The director quickly glanced at Erza who hurriedly picked up the teacup from the corner of his eye.When he looked back at Ki Kima, his round, kindly eyes returned. "That guy's studio is at the north end of the market. You can find it in no time." The town of Lillis is roughly in the shape of an apple, which is equivalent to the core of an apple. The police station, management department, hospital, school, and mayor's mansion are gathered here.From the core to the skin, there are four roads connecting the east, west, north and south.Every road has a name, and the market occupies the part of "Brickmaker's Avenue" in the north, which is a long and thin extension, that is to say, it is a very large shopping street.In addition, at the end of the North Avenue, which is equivalent to the part of the apple base, stands a church with a bell tower.

The afternoon sun shines on the church steeple, and the shadow of the tower is cast on the city street.Fan Lun's small studio is located on a back street corner, surrounded by shadows.The houses in this area are densely packed, and there is a crooked feeling in the shadow of the tower.The studio has no signboard and no decorations.It is the first floor of a cracked two-story brick building.A thin wooden door, weathered and faded. Pedestrians on the street were very kind, and when they asked about Fan Lun's studio, they immediately informed him of the route.Not only that, but someone even specially acted as a guide. He said that the area is a bit messy, you may not go, so let's take you there.However, when someone pointed out that "this is it", I suddenly felt unbelievable.Why did the maker of expensive jewelry, which was so popular in the unified empire of the Northern Continent, stay in such an ugly place?

"Anyway, knock on the door and see." Ki Kima stepped forward with his big fists clenched.At this time, the door panel was suddenly pushed out with a "crack!", and it fit on his nose. "Wow!" "Wow!" someone yelled from inside the door. Ki Kima's face and body were covered with hard scales, so the door panel that hit his nose bounced back violently, as if hitting the person who was about to open the door. "Oh, I'm sorry!" Ki Kima bent his huge body to peek inside the door. From the shadow of the door, a young man poked his head out in fear and put his hand on his sore nose.

"Hey, you are..." The young man looked at Gen and the others suspiciously.He was an Anka, tall, with a black shirt and black trousers.White knee apron - for work.Glossy black hair was tied back.Among the present-day performers and kung fu movie stars, there are people who dress like this. "Are you Mr. Tony Van Lun?" Mina asked loudly, "We are from Gasala and would like to see your work." "Oh, it's a customer!" While rubbing his nose, the young man made a sound of relief. "Then please come in. Although I'm not working on a big work at the moment. It's rare for you to make a trip." He opened the door for the visitor and took a step back. "It's just that I have to go out to do some errands later. So I don't have a lot of time to accompany you now..." The young man hesitated to speak, he stared at Gen with sharp eyes.No, to be precise, he stared at the fire dragon bracer on Gen's left wrist. "You are the Highland Guard?" The interrogation tone was completely different from the one just now, "Isn't it? The wristband is the symbol of the Highland Guard, right?" Gen moment panicked: "Oh, oh... yes." Fan Lun shook his head vigorously, his hair shaking wildly.He blocked Ki Keema, who had already entered the room with most of his body. "Then I refuse to visit. You cannot enter my shop." The words blurted out, and his face turned pale.He is really angry. "Then why?" "We are here specially..." Mina refused to give up, "Why not the Highland Guard? Does Mr. Fan Lun hate the Highland Guard?" Tony Van Lun's black jewel-like pupils shone like lightning. "Why do you say I am? Humph! Haven't you met Director Pam?" "Of course I came here after seeing it." Ji Kema replied, "I also asked the director for the location of your studio." "Then that fellow told you about this place—" said Van Lun through gritted teeth, "don't lie!" "We didn't lie, but he only said it was by the market, and didn't give the detailed address. So we came here for many people along the way." "It's true, because we really want to see your work. Although we don't know if we can afford it... because it must be very expensive." Fan Lun bit his lip and shook his head: "No matter what the price is, it is impossible for my work to be sold to the Highland Guard. There is no need to watch it. Alright, let's go!" The door slammed shut. The three of them were dumbfounded, and what happened was really unexpected.Some people stretched out their heads to spy on the slightly crooked doors and windows of every house, and then retracted, as if they knew it.There was muffled tittering from overhead.The uproar from Bricklayers Avenue seemed to be teasing them too. Ki Kima was still facing the wooden door, and he opened his mouth wide and let out a voice: "Can you please step back a little?" Gen and Mina looked at each other and took a step back. "Thank you." Ki Kima grinned, then clenched his hands into fists and took a step towards the other side of the alley, counting, "One step, two steps, three steps." "Ki Kima, what are you doing?" In response to Mina's rhetorical question, he tightened his body, took a posture of "ready—shock!", and replied: "This kind of door will open as soon as I hit it, and five doors together can't stop it!" , he ran up! "do not do that!" "Ki Kima, no!" Gen and Mina hugged his neck together.Growling like a hound, Ki Kima stamped his feet hard, throwing them both up and down. "why not?" "Don't act wild!" "It's not good for that kind of rude guy? Look at his attitude? He smells like copper. If that kind of person doesn't give him a head-on blow and let him know how to repent, he won't even look down on a goddess!" "Three! Please wait!" A girl's voice came from across the alley.The three of them looked back and saw Erza running over staggeringly.Her long hair is disheveled, holding her skirt in her hands. "Miss Erza?" Heng and the others were taken aback and stood there dumbfounded.What's going on here? Erza rushed to the side of the three of them, covered his chest with his hands, panting uncomfortably. "Cough, cough, everyone, it's for Fan Lun..." "--expulsion," said Ki Kima through gritted teeth.Gen thought he was very clear about how kind and kind he was, but the two rows of teeth looked fierce, and it was quite scary for him to come like this.Erza panted in pain and apologized with tears in his eyes. "Yes, I'm sorry. If I come with you..." As she spoke, she fell down exhausted. "I'm sorry, everyone was taken aback by me." Erza was lying on a hard plank bed in a corner of Fan Lun's studio.Although he had woken up, his face was still as pale as paper. When Erza fell down, Fan Lun heard Gen and others' exclamation and rushed out of the room, shouting "Erza!" He hugged her without hesitation, turned around and returned to the studio.They also took advantage of the panic and followed Fan Lun into the studio.However, until Erza breathed a sigh of relief and opened his eyes, because Fan Lun stayed close to the left and right, it was impossible for them to get close to the bed. "They must be lovers." Mina whispered to Genfuer, "But Elza is the director's only daughter—oh, things are quite complicated." As soon as Erza opened his eyes, he immediately realized that not only Fan Lun was beside him, but they were also there, so he wanted to explain to Fan Lun. "Don't talk about that first, do you feel all right?" Fan Lun worriedly stopped Elza who was about to get up, "You have a bad heart, I told you not to run, how many times will you understand?" Erza smiled: "Oh, I'm sorry. I act like a wild girl when I'm in a hurry." "You came to chase us, thank you! Are you really okay?" Heng spoke behind Fan Lun.Fan Lun glanced back at him: "You guys made it like this." He said coldly. "Hey, Tony, please don't act like that." Erza shook his hand coquettishly and said, "They came from Gasala to find news about their friends, and they just arrived in Lillis. Although it is a highland Guards, but father and they just met." Fan Lun lowered his gaze a little after listening to the euphemistic explanation.The corners of his mouth were still pouted in dissatisfaction. "But the Highlanders are all one thing." "No. Although I haven't been to Gasala Town, it's very lively there, right? Many people live together in a friendly way, regardless of origin, race, or appearance?" Erza looked back and forth at the faces of the three and asked enthusiastically.Seeing that the three nodded together, she took Fan Lun's hand with both hands, looked up at him and said, "Hey, Tony, there are such towns too. So please, don't hate them just because they are Highlanders." "That," Ki Kima said, pawing at his cheek with his claws.He said politely, "Sorry to interrupt your conversation, we don't understand the situation here yet." "Yes, I'm so sorry." Erza's face turned red all of a sudden.She asked Fan Lun to support her and sat up on the bed. "There seems to be some disagreement between Miss Erza's father, the director, and Mr. Fan Lun?" Mina said. "What disagreement!" Fan Lun was furious again, "Can the remarks of a racist be considered an opinion?!" "So, you don't have to be so angry." Erza laughed.Because Gen and Mina couldn't help laughing out loud, even Fan Lun felt embarrassed. "It's my parents, so I can't say anything..." Erza bowed his head and said, "Father believes that people of other races are inferior except for the Anka." "But Mr. Pam is the chief of the police station. If he is so paranoid, won't he be unable to maintain this town?" "So, in Lilis, residents other than the Anka tribe can't count on the Highland Guard." Fan Lun frowned and said, "Whether it's stolen or robbed, or arson of houses and shops, if the victim is not the Anka tribe, The police station in Lilis will not be dispatched. Not only that, but if the person who did such a bad thing is an Anka tribe, or if they don’t take it seriously, they will even let the criminal go.” "Too much!" exclaimed Ky Kima. "On the contrary, if a resident other than the Anka tribe committed a crime against the Anka tribe, or accidentally injured someone, causing property damage, they would be arrested without interrogation. Some were executed on the spot with different verdicts, and some were tortured to death in the detention center. of." Fan Lun clenched his fists. "Recently, the situation has become more serious. As soon as a case where Anka residents were injured, neither the case was filed nor investigated, and it was immediately determined that residents of other races were responsible. Just find a reason to fabricate the crime, such as living near the victim, being extremely poor, etc. Just send people to the detention center without money, and the result can be imagined.” It's almost the same as South Africa in the apartheid era.Gen asked: "So, there is discrimination in daily life, right?" Fan Lun was quite surprised: "It is true. How do you know?" "I just know something like this has happened in another place before." Although it's only seen in the movies of this world. Fan Lun crossed his arms and walked to the window of the studio, looking out. "The main street outside is called 'Brickmaker's Avenue'. Because when the town of Lillis first appeared, all the bricklayers who built houses for the town lived here. Every household made bricks and fired bricks, and the dust was flying and the noise was noisy. The kiln is very hot all year round. Therefore, when the town construction came to an end and the brick and tile craftsmen gradually left, this place became a place where the poor lived." Fan Lun looked back at them, "Did you notice it outside just now? ? The people who look at you from the window are all from other races, right?" That said, it is true. "I am the only Anka who lives along this avenue." Fan Lun murmured, "People of other races account for less than 20% of the total population of Lillis Town. It is said that there were more in the past, but out of respect for the town Outraged by this injustice, he left. Those who had places to go, or were able to find jobs elsewhere, were easy to do as long as they were young. However, there were also some who could not leave for various reasons, so those who stayed were Confined to a narrow slum along Bricklayers Avenue. You walk the road elsewhere. You get it right away. The mansions and mansions are all Anka. Residents of other races live in cramped, unsanitary slums They have to go out to work every day to make ends meet. Of course, they are all odd jobs. In Lillis, if you are not an Anka, you cannot find a formal job. People of other races naturally fall into poverty because of this.” "A vicious circle." Erza said sadly. "Is there a connection between this racism and belief in old gods?" After asking this question, Elza and Fan Lun looked at each other. "Is Mr. Gen familiar with the belief of old gods?" "Ki Kima told me." Ki Kima was suddenly under the gaze of everyone, and a little shyly repeated what he had explained to Gen. "Oh... has it reached the town of Gasala?" "However, in Gasala, it is not so blatant. Everyone is wary of the belief in the old gods. In short, it is related to the Northern Empire." Erza nodded. "That's right. Sometimes I think, isn't the current Lillis exactly the same as the Northern Empire? People other than the Anka people are detained in shelters and tortured. Although it is a small scale, the actions are very similar..." "Of course we cannot deny the influence of the belief in the old gods in the north, but Lilis was originally a place with strong racial discrimination. I don't know the reason. One hundred and fifty years ago, the pioneer group who first moved here and the pioneers in other places Like a regiment, it is a mixture of various races." Fan Lun said, "The situation has changed slightly since the discovery of precious jade deposits in the mountains around Lilis. To find the veins, you must dig deep into the Underground. This matter is most suitable for the orcs who have superior physical strength. On the other hand, it is suitable for the delicate Anka people to grind and process the rough stones they dug. In this way, a division of labor has been formed." "It turned out to be like this. This is how today's handicraft town Lilis came about." Mina said, "How is the mine now? Are the orcs still working there?" Fan Lun shook his head and said, "During the eighty years since Baoyu was discovered, the mines have been exhausted and the mines have been closed. The ore veins are not very large. Now there are other discoveries, but not enough to do business. Today in Most of the gemstones processed by Lilis are imported from Alikida." Only the Anka rule survived—is that so? "Oh, that's right." Ki Kima suddenly sighed, "Although I am a Sakawa Darubaba businessman who has traveled all over the southern continent, this is the first time I have come to Lilis. The raw gemstone imported from Aliquida Was it delivered directly by your guild?" "Yes. The person in power in the town is the head of the handicraft guild, and he is also a person with extreme racial discrimination. They don't allow the water people to set foot in the town." "Although running the Darubaba store is my job, the Anka people also do it." Ki Kima said, "Oh, that's how it is! I didn't notice it at all before." "It's hard for outsiders to understand the actual situation in Lilis." Erza shook his head sadly, his beautiful long hair flowing, "The people who came to learn to be craftsmen are all from the Anka tribe, and there are no other towns. An industry like this is formed. So, very few people actually come in and out of here.” "However, if Director Pam has such extreme racist views, why didn't he show any displeasure when he saw Mina and me?" Mina also wagged the tip of her tail, showing that she felt the same about this question. "Because you are highland guards from outside. If you clearly discriminate against you, it will anger the Garsala police station." Surely Katz would come whipping him to question him. "However, regardless of whether the concept of discrimination can be changed at once, the highland guards cannot ignore such nonsense in the important work of investigating cases and maintaining law and order. Try to complain to the chief in charge of the Boao Police Station, you guys How do you feel?" Fan Lun returned to his original indifferent eyes, and observed Gen, "Do you think we haven't tried it?" "We have tried it countless times." Erza continued, "However, Chief Srka seems unwilling to get too involved in this issue. The so-called more things are worse than less things." "No, that guy is also a racist." Fan Lun said disdainfully, "When the coalition government created the Shudinger Knights, it was not clear whether this organization was a multi-racial knights like the Highlanders, or whether it was divided into groups based on race. There was a lot of controversy over the name selection. Although it was finally decided by a vote, among the heads of the Highland Guard who were consulted, only the head of the Srka agreed to divide the group by race." "Oh, the Shudinger Knights are all Anka." Gen said to himself, "But, I don't think it's necessary to divide them by race." "There are always reasons to be found. For example, there are various types of equipment that are not uniform, and habits of collective life are different." Fan Lun is still indignant, "However, no matter what the name is, once the race is divided, it must be different from the race The business is connected. Let’s say that the current Shudinger Knights, when they were first established, had members other than the Anka tribe, but now these people don’t have helmets and armor, and they only do some things like disaster relief and rehabilitation, and mountain forest development. When you mention the Schudinger Knights, it becomes synonymous with the silver-white armor and majestic Anka team. But it wasn’t like that at first.” "Looks like," Ki Kima murmured, "we'd better stay a little longer. Don't we, Mina?" Mina seemed to be in deep thought, her tail wagging. "Mr. Fan Lun, haven't you thought about leaving this town?" Facing Gen's question, Fan Lun and Erza looked at each other again.Mina, who had been staring blankly at her tail, seemed to speak for the two of them, maintaining her original posture and saying: "He can't let Miss Erza go, can he?" "However, it's okay for two people to elope? Isn't it?" With tears in his eyes, Erza said to Gen who hastily added: "Of course I want to go with Tony. However, I can't leave my father behind. I hope my father will wake up." "You want him to understand that it's wrong to discriminate against other races?" "Yes! Father did not hold this view from his youth." "When did he change?" "It should have happened seven or eight years ago. My mother passed away due to illness..." Elza rolled his eyes, as if searching for memories, "Afterwards, in order to relieve his loneliness, he became enthusiastic about church activities. You see, there are big Church of the Bell Tower." "But it's the church of the goddess, isn't it?" "Although it is—it's a long story. In Lilis, this church cannot be determined to be the Goddess Church. It is also a church dedicated to the Jade Elves." "The teachings of the goddess are very simple," Erza corrected his posture, and continued singing, "Oh, the life that is abundant on the earth, care for each other, help each other, prosper and prosper, and gather under the light." "It's that simple?" "Yes, that's the basics. In addition, there are some small commandments. The most taboo is making statues of the goddess and building churches for the goddess. These two things are strictly prohibited. Therefore, no matter which town you go to, books about the teachings of the goddess There are many, you can find them everywhere, gatherings in town squares to sing praises, there are many small-scale religious activities, and there are places for such gatherings, but there are no churches. Only Lillis has them." According to the statement just now, the minaret and the big bell tower violate the teachings of the goddess.too weird. "Father often goes to that church, and it seems that he met someone there and was indoctrinated with that idea. Although there is no definite evidence, I think so." Go check it out at the church!Gen made a decision.