Tianjin people will never lose SAN

Chapter 499: Addiction (4k+)

"The wedding in two days will be extremely luxurious and exaggerated. I didn't just hear about it, I saw it with my own eyes! Yesterday I saw Herama's guards carrying several wooden cages off the ship!
As for the dinners, the wines, and the spices used in the bathing rituals, there are countless of them.”

In the dim tavern, a middle-aged man with untidy beard continued to chatter while shaking his legs:

"How about it? Lend me some more money, lend me some more!

Don't worry! You don't have to worry about me not being able to pay it back. There are a lot of silverware at the wedding, and no one will notice if I take some out. At worst, I can use them to pay off the debt!"

Sitting opposite the middle-aged man was a young man with a smile on his face and two black mustaches. He smiled and nodded, and finally took out a purse from his robe and threw it on the table:
"Did Prince Herama invite many distinguished guests? Can we get some more benefits from them?"

"Distinguished guests? Yes, yes, yes, there are quite a few!"

The middle-aged man couldn't wait to pick up the purse, counting the money in his hands while continuing to chat:
"Sir Gregory of Mosesad, Special Envoy Rich, and Prince Rupel, a staunch supporter of Prince Herama, I heard that the Saint Maiden Sect of the Western Continent has all arrived. It's going to be very lively!"

"Oh... so if all these people go to the wedding, will the defense of Liushui Palace... become less strict?"

"Why do you ask this!?"

The middle-aged man looked around warily.

"I have some other friends. I'm not afraid to tell you, they are all brave and aggressive pirates who will do anything to make money. I can make a small profit by selling intelligence to them."

"oops……"

The middle-aged man didn’t seem to have a very moral bottom line. He shook his head and advised:

"Forget it. I heard that the big shot who has been living in the Flowing Water Courtyard recently moved several boxes to the Emir's Palace, which is also the wedding venue. Tell them not to waste their energy!"

"Really? These rich bastards are really careful. Okay, I have something to do and I'll leave first. I wish you good luck in the casino later."

The young man stroked his beard, stood up, patted the middle-aged man on the shoulder, turned and left the tavern.

As soon as he left the pub, the young man quickened his pace and blended into the crowd, walking through the stuffy streets of the port area. After turning several corners and entering a small alley, the young man cautiously took out a small mirror to check himself, making sure that he was not being followed before entering the room. He then took out the paper tube and note for delivering messages from the drawer.

"The Sun Chariot and Ricky are both at the Emir's Palace."

After writing a brief message and putting it into a paper tube, the young man went out again and got on a passing carriage. Soon, this news would be passed on through various secret methods and finally appear on the desk of Grand Duke Kurt Zahir.

As for the middle-aged man in the tavern, his casual smile slowly stopped after the young man left.

He snorted coldly, put the money in his pocket and sat at the table for a while, until he finished the pot of mint tea and left the pub when it was getting dark.

His destination was a two-story house facing the street. After knocking on the door several times, a hunchbacked old woman slowly opened the door. After entering the house, the middle-aged man walked directly into the kitchen and moved the water tank, revealing a secret door underneath where vegetables were stored.

After lighting a candle and opening the secret door, the middle-aged man walked down the stairs.

The basement is not very big, less than one meter long and wide, making it difficult for people to turn around inside.

There was a small table in the room, and on the table was a statue. The statue was a deformed monster with wings on its back, and long and thin claws hanging from its bloated body.

The middle-aged man took out various materials for sacrifice from under the table, muttering something. After a while, the middle-aged man found that the originally clear walls around him were gradually replaced by darkness. The darkness had no substance and was floating, as if the space was extending infinitely.

"Mr. Messenger."

A dry call came from the middle-aged man's throat. When he came to his senses, he found that a tall and thin shadow was standing in front of him.

"The high priest."

The person he summoned was not the Messenger, but the High Priest.

At this time, the donkey was still wearing a robe and a hood. He heard his believers performing a summoning ceremony, calling out "Lord Messenger" first. The donkey felt awkward no matter how he heard it.

"Is the matter done?"

"It's done, High Priest. I leaked the information again, but the other party didn't suspect anything."

"very good."

It turns out that all the information that Grand Duke Azahir obtained from the beginning was deliberately revealed to him by the donkey! Otherwise, how could Zahir's people be able to grasp the changes in the movements of Oia City so smoothly!
But the donkey didn't lie to him. The information was all true, and the donkey had no reason to lie to him. The donkey just wanted Zahir to call him quickly.

Please kill this preacher on earth as soon as possible, thank you.

It is as easy as eating and drinking to play with these ordinary people with a donkey's brain. Just find a believer to pretend to be a gambler who has lost a lot of money in the casino and ask Zahir's informant to borrow money. Then pretend that he can't pay back the money, inadvertently exposing himself as a servant in the Emir's palace. Under duress, he can only use intelligence to pay off the debt.

Everything is so natural, there is nothing wrong with it.

"Then... Archbishop, what should we do next to cooperate with the Messenger?" he asked in a deep voice.

Return the messenger! The donkey took two steps in the space with his hands behind his back:
"It's simple. Let the Messenger listen to the desperate wails on the wedding night and let the bright red blood become the most beautiful embellishment of the sacred wedding."

"Then... for the people from Kurt, where should we start?"

"It doesn't matter who it is, because as long as someone dies, both sides will tense up and subconsciously start to eliminate dissidents, and then there will be brutal revenge.

So this is a stage for you to perform freely. Dance beautifully and give the Messenger a surprise!"

The donkey felt that his tone of voice became cheerful. This was right, this was the development he longed for. In the confusion, everyone had lost their composure and rationality. People hated each other unconsciously and gradually lost themselves, getting stuck in a chaotic and disordered dead end.

"No problem, High Priest, but... could you also report our plan to the Messenger?"

"I……"

The smile on Donkey's face froze again. I reported to him? This is outrageous!
……

The wedding is approaching, and not only the donkey but also Prince Herama is looking forward to it with great excitement.

Originally, Sir Gregory did not immediately agree to hold a wedding for the two that day, and Prince Herama was still a little nervous. They were all old-school politicians, and he could guess what the other party was thinking. But he couldn't push him, because the more he pushed, the more guilty he seemed.

Unexpectedly, Gregory came to visit in person the next day, and his attitude changed. He immediately decided on the marriage. With such reassurance, Herama felt much more relieved.

What he was looking forward to even more was that he could watch the beast fighting performance again on the wedding day! And it was in the name of a wedding, so it didn't count as him being off duty.

There is a custom at the Kurt nobles' wedding that both parties and other guests can send their warriors to compete in the arena to liven up the atmosphere. This has many benefits.

The first thing is definitely that the wedding is lively. The Kurts are martial people, and they would feel uncomfortable if they didn’t fight a few times after drinking too much.

Secondly, everyone at the wedding is eligible to place outside bets. It is an unwritten rule that the two families will take a small cut from the wedding. It costs a lot to hold a grand wedding, so the two families can get some money back.

The third is due to political considerations. Many of the guests who come to attend the wedding have conflicts in private. Using this occasion to decide the winner through a gambling fight can temporarily put the conflict on hold. If anyone causes trouble after the wedding, it would be disrespectful to the families of the bride and groom, and would be a lack of face for the middleman.

But as time went by, the custom gradually evolved, and the two sides of the fight were no longer limited to humans, but also beasts and their families. Therefore, before many Kurt noble weddings, the guests were eager to bribe or recruit some professional gladiators or beasts to fight for them.

Prince Herama loves beast fighting the most, but since the arrival of the Mosesad people, this entertainment activity has been completely suspended, which makes Herama very uncomfortable.

This time it's a double blessing, I can finally satisfy my urge to fight beasts.

However, Herama was also smart. Before preparing for the wedding, he specially asked someone to transport the "Sun Chariot" from the Flowing Water Courtyard to his Emir's Palace and keep it under strict guard. This thing is now his lifeblood and no mistake can be made.

Moreover, Special Envoy Richie seems to be particularly concerned about the preparations for the wedding. He is busy every day like a spinning top. That's good. If you do more, I can do less and focus all my energy on fighting the beasts.

"Your Excellency, please take a look."

Kurt has a special big house, which is specially used to raise and train various clans for Prince Herama. Special ancient relics and forbidden magic circles are placed in it to ensure that these monsters will not escape. There are also full-time mystics who take turns to look after them.

At this time, Balkan was accompanying Prince Herama to select monsters to participate in the wedding.

Herama looked up in the direction of Balkan's finger, and saw an upright creature standing in the cage. It was about seven feet tall, hunched over, and much stronger than an ordinary person. It looked more like a giant bear, and its face was shrouded in white cold air, so its facial features could not be seen clearly.

"The Cold One is a rare item I just bought recently. It is said that it can hide its tracks by relying on the snow on its body, and it can also freeze the opponent's torso and limbs."

Balkan explained quietly.

"next."

It is indeed novel, but not practical. It is hot and humid in Kurt and there is no snow for it to show its strength, so its strength must be greatly reduced.

Prince Herama was an expert in beast fighting and could tell at a glance that the Cold One was of little use.

"A Hundred-Faced Monster! You must have seen it before, but it is unusual to have so many faces. Not only is it cruel and bloodthirsty, but it can also torture its opponents with its crying. If we let it participate in the competition, we'd better add an extra forbidden spell to the Colosseum to protect the audience."

The monster in front of him was a huge dark purple caterpillar, with dozens of crying human faces disgustingly squeezed on the surface of the monster's skin, which was disgusting to look at.

"Let's choose another one and see."

The Hundred-Faced Monster is not bad. Herama has seen it fight before. It has almost crushing strength when it meets most opponents. But to put it bluntly, this monster is a bit biased. It will be at a disadvantage when it meets a creature that is not afraid of its crying and wailing.

"The air ghost you've always wanted is expensive and difficult to transport. Just the cell specially prepared for it is a huge expense. The only hidden danger is... the mystic who trained it is still unclear about its fighting intentions. If it is afraid of fighting..."

This cell was indeed different from the others. In addition to the usual protective measures, a few triangular stone slabs were erected to surround the iron cage. The air inside the cage was visibly stagnant.

Inside the iron cage was an ape-like monster with hooked claws on its arms and insect wings on its back. Its body was leaning forward with its arms hanging casually, and it was swaying as if it was drunk.

"Haha, that's him."

Herama smiled and nodded. It seemed that Balkan's attainments in mysticism were not yet up to par and he did not know how terrifying the air ghost was. This creature could temporarily tear through space and suddenly appear behind its prey. Both its own strength and the uniqueness of its abilities were among the best in the clan.

With this family member as a foundation, I will be confident of winning the beast fight at the wedding.

"Balkan, is the Sun Chariot safe?"

After finalizing the candidates for the beast fight, Herama asked casually in a good mood.

"Please rest assured, Prince. In addition to our own personnel, we have also asked Grand Duke Rupel to dispatch a number of guards. They will be placed in the basement of the palace where Prince Rupel lives."

"Yea, very good."

It is true that the Emir's Palace is heavily guarded, but at special moments, one is afraid that someone with ulterior motives might come and deliberately sabotage it. However, no one would have thought that it was hiding under Prince Rupel's mansion. Helama was very satisfied with his arrangement.

The two were chatting when they saw Liu Yonglu walking through the yard through the window. He had a bulging belly and a big basket in his arms, which was full of chestnuts and dates.

"What is Envoy Rich doing?"

"Looking at the direction...preparing Mr. Carol's wedding room?"

Herama and Balkan walked out of the house while talking. Ricky was Kurt's guest now, and Herama would never miss any chance to chat with him.

"Mr. Rich, what are you doing?"

"Oh, Your Excellency, I introduce... Hey, Moses Sader, as usual, we have to make some arrangements."

When Liu Yonglu saw his acquaintance, he bent down and put the basket on the ground, patted the dirt off his hands and came over to talk.

"Let the servants in the palace take care of these little things." Prince Herama looked at the things in the basket carefully again, but still didn't know what they were used for.

"Hey! They are no good at all. There are many reasons behind this! It's better to do it yourself and feel at ease."

"Mr. Richie is indeed a good friend!"

Heramar gave a thumbs up, then suddenly remembered something and slapped his head:
"Mr. Richie, according to our Kurt custom, there will be an animal fighting show after the wedding. Does it conflict with your procedures?"

"A beast fight? It shouldn't conflict with anything. It'd be better if it's more lively. It saves me from having to prepare a show."

Prince Herama was also very happy today. He took Liu Yonglu to visit his collection again. He explained the various rules and regulations of the beast fighting performances while talking, and finally asked:
"Mr. Richie, I wonder if you brought the Holy Eagle with you when you came to Kurt this time?"

Prince Herama still couldn't forget the chicken run.

"Shengying? Oh, oh, oh, oh... Let's go... Holy Eagle, I've brought it with me, I've brought it with me. It's practicing crowing in my yard every day. You may not have seen it."

"Are you interested in letting Holy Eagle participate? It's just for entertainment, just for fun!"

Helama was thinking about defeating Liu Yonglu in a beast fight and making him lose the Holy Eagle to him.

"I'll ask him later. We are both quite democratic. If it was Mi Li'er who asked, I think he would definitely participate."

Prince Herama didn't understand what Liu Yonglu said and could only nod.

"Then I'll be leaving first, Your Excellency. I have a lot to do today."

Liu Yonglu nodded with a smile, turned around and walked away with the basket in his arms, lowering his head and singing:

"I'll give you a chestnut, I'll give you a date, and next year you'll give me a big fat kid..."

While he was singing, a man came towards him. By the time Liu Yonglu reacted, the two of them were about to bump into each other. Liu Yonglu glanced at the man's facial features and was so startled that he almost dropped the basket of things in his hand.

The person walking towards him was none other than the great enemy he had tricked before in New New Lon—Prince Rupel!

(End of this chapter)