Twenty Seven Years

  Chapter 2 The Uninvited Guest

  Verak was relieved. He sat beside him very relaxedly, listening to Nord and Dempsey talking drunkenly, and quietly waiting for the arrival of the Thomas family.

"I really want to drink a glass of the Imbit wine in our restaurant. It tastes very fragrant, and a small bottle costs twenty gold grams. It is worth half a year's income..." Nord sipped the low-quality wine in the glass, sipping So a little bit, not in a hurry to swallow it, just swirled it in his mouth, feeling the mellow aroma behind the sourness and bitterness on the taste buds back and forth, as if what he was drinking was the Imbit wine that even some nobles felt luxurious.

   "Have you ever drank it?" Dempsey took a sip of the wine unhurriedly.

"Uh...no..." Nord replied, "That's twenty gold grams of wine, and it's not a casual thing for their rich people. How could it be left for me to take advantage of? Anyway, it's better than ours. It’s much better to have a bad street stuff that ordinary people can afford to drink. This is purely something that the bottom of the society pours into their stomachs to fill the illusion or vulgar fun, and it doesn’t have the value of luxury at all.”

  In Nord’s view, those in the upper class like to consider the imperceptible beauty between the years of wine brewing, and they are the **** rich who are willing to spend a lot of money for a little difference in taste.

   "Where did you hear this inexplicable description?" Verak asked, frowning.

   "The customers in the restaurant said it." Nord said.

Dempsey shook his head, he didn't think the wine he drank was bad, nor did he think how good the wine Nord had seen in a high-end restaurant: "What's wrong with twenty gold grams? Go buy such expensive wine. These upper-class people are mentally ill, we still have to live our lives in peace."

   "It's boring for you to say that, obviously you are ignorant, so you have to say it as if it's not good to be rich." Nord hated Dempsey's preaching to him, and immediately felt very disappointed.

   "Do you like the life you have now?" Verak suddenly interrupted their conversation.

  Nord and Dempsey looked at Verak together, not understanding why he asked such a question.

   "Don't look at me like that, just ask casually." Verak said.

   "...Who would think?" Dempsey was the first to be unwilling. He was the oldest, the most tired and the lowest paid among the three present.

   Nord also rarely became melancholy: "Yeah, who would think?"

  Verak knew that he had actually asked a knowing question, but he chose to do so just now. Because now the future of the two friends can also be decided by him, he can choose to send them away and go to Lazein alone tonight, or he can choose to bring them to win a better future together.

  After asking these words, Verak already knew it in his heart: "Please have a good drink tonight."

   "Are you serious? You didn't drink too much today, why did you invite dinner and drink?" Nord asked in surprise.

   "Villac is a rare luxury, cherish it!" Dempsey stood up, fearing that Verac would regret it, and took the initiative to run errands to buy wine.

  The slums are full of rudimentary entertainment venues such as bars and chess and card halls. After a hard day’s work during the day, evening is a rare moment for these people living at the bottom, so both the street and the apartment are extremely lively.

  It was past eleven o'clock, when the three of them were enjoying their drinks, there was a knock on the door.

   Dempsey was a little upset: "Is there someone looking for you so late?"

   "Maybe there is something urgent." Veraker looked serious, and took a sip from his glass, knowing that someone from the Thomas family had come.

   "I'm going to open the door." The slightly drunk Nord swayed barefoot and went to open the door. As soon as he opened the door, he was kicked to the ground!

   "Uh!" The kick was so strong that Nord curled up on the ground and couldn't get up.

   The visitor is not good!

   Dempsey was more than half sober, grabbed the bottle and was about to be forced into a fierce fight. But when he saw the two black gun muzzles at the door, he immediately let go of the wine bottle and raised his hands to express his surrender.

   "Clang." The wine bottle fell to the ground, rolled to the door, and was stepped on by a foot.

   Holding a pistol, a bald middle-aged man with a gentle face stepped out from between the two tall uninvited guests. The man covered his mouth and nose with a square scarf, squinted his eyes and kicked the wine bottle away, and entered the room.

  Verak stood up and looked at the man. This man was Verac's nightmare, Fletcher, the housekeeper of the Thomas family.

   "We're done." Dempsey murmured beside Veraker, covered in cold sweat.

  The slum area is a place that has nothing to do with health and stability.

  It belongs to the city of Tswold in Joseph County, located on the border of the Brexi Republic, bordering the Castellan Empire. Most of them are ruthless characters with dirty hands and feet, lives on their backs, and being wanted from other places.

  In Dempsey's view, this group of people was most likely to be desperadoes, so he took the lead in showing weakness: "If you need money, we can give you all the money."

   "Unbelievable." Fletcher ignored his words completely, and walked closer to observe Veraker's face, "There are actually people who look exactly the same in the world..."

   Fletcher seemed to have seen a scene that was enough to subvert the three views, and the shock in his eyes did not fade for a long time.

Verac stared at Fletcher, looking at that very deceptively kind face, he couldn't help but recall the humiliation and abuse he suffered day and night in Laizein, and the time when he was shot in the heart by him in the previous life. Scenes.

   For the first time in twenty-six years, Veraker was so afraid of a person. So even though he was mentally prepared, his mouth still subconsciously secreted a lot of saliva.

   "It's time for you to enjoy the glory and wealth." Fletcher congratulated meaningfully, and then waved his hands, "Kill them both."

   The two armed men standing at the door immediately aimed their guns at Dempsey and Nord.

   "Don't shoot!" Verak stretched out his hand to stop, "Who are you? You can talk about anything!"

   "Shh." Fletcher turned and walked slowly to the door and closed it, making a hoarse voice, "They are worthless."

  Nord's face was painful, and he groaned weakly on the ground.

Veraker stood side by side with Demps, who was covered in cold sweat, and continued to pretend not to know: "Can you explain what is going on here? We didn't do anything, why did you kill us? If you want money, we can give it to you." All to you."

   "Don't worry, I won't kill you." Fletcher looked very leisurely, looking around the shabby house while replying.

   "What about them?" Verak asked.

"As I said, they have no value." Fletcher looked a little unhappy, as if he didn't like answering repeated questions, "I'll explain to you slowly later, let's talk about these two quickly for you. Just get rid of friends who are dragging you down."

   "If you want to kill them, you have to kill me first, or let us all live." Verac had already made a successful test in his previous life, so this time he spoke firmly without any hesitation, and tied Nord and Dempsey to himself.

   "You don't look scared." Fletcher was a little surprised that Verac would say that, raised his eyebrows, and smiled.

   "I repeat, if you want to kill them, kill me first, or they will all be alive." Verak still maintained the state just now, and did not immediately pretend to be panic because of Fletcher's words.

  Fletcher's eyes were full of appreciation and playfulness, and he stared at Veraker for a long time: "...Then take them away together."

   "...This is definitely a wise choice." Verak heaved a sigh of relief.

   "Really, really?" Dempsey looked at Fletcher and the two gunmen behind him who looked like death, and asked cautiously.

   "Put the gun down." Fletcher ordered the two men to put the gun down.

  The situation has eased a lot.

   "It's not too late, let's go back to Laizein now." Fletcher turned and went out.

   "Lezein?" Nord, who was sweating profusely, grinned and got up, looking left and right at Verac and Dempsey, wondering why he suddenly went to a place so far away from their world.

  Their impression of Laizein was that apart from the bright lights and extreme prosperity, there was only the famous labor movement that broke out in this city a year ago. It was this huge protest that forced the interim government, which had just overthrown the old dynasty, to issue the first-ever decree on the working hours of workers. It is precisely because of this new decree that the daily working hours of workers across the country in Brescia have generally been reduced from 16 hours to 14 or 15 hours.

   "Yes." Fletcher went out, seeing that the three of Veraker were still in place, "You don't need to pack anything, Lazerin has everything."

   Dempsey knew it would be a bad thing, so he hesitated and said again and again: "I'm just a steelworker, and I'm of no value to you..."

   Fletcher left without even looking at Dempsey.

   Facing the two expressionless gun-wielding men, Verac and Demps had no choice but to help Nord out the door.

  Two horse-drawn trucks have been parked downstairs of the apartment.

   "Don't be too ostentatious, so on the way to the Zward Railway Station, you can only take a truck." Fletcher said politely to Verak, and then got into the compartment of the first truck.

  Verak and Dempsey helped Nord, whose stomach was still hurting, and got into the first truck, staying with Fletcher, who looked gentle.

  Fletcher was sitting opposite Veraker. Under the moonlight, Veraker could see his deep gaze and amiable smile on his face.

   After everyone got into the carriage, the coachman drove the horses forward.

  Due to poor sanitation, the streets of the slums that have just rained are filled with a stench like a garbage dump.

Fortunately, the government has laid telegraph lines, roads and other infrastructure here a long time ago. In addition, the apartment where Verak lives is already on the edge. It took less than ten minutes for the truck to drive out of this chaotic, undisciplined , Depressed place.

   "It's really hard to imagine that there are thousands of such parasitic slums in Brisey alone." After leaving the slums, Fletcher was greatly relieved, and subconsciously said something in a contemptuous tone.

   Hearing this, Nord and Dempsey had very bad faces.

  Verak turned his head and looked back, the slums were getting farther and farther away from him.

  He has lived here for more than 20 years, and has imagined countless times that he escaped from this swamp-like place.

  (end of this chapter)