Star Forge Titan

"Hey, this isn't the time to joke around. It seems like that gang leader from the orphanage is even more decisive than I thought. He actually just went all out and started a war."

"What else? People with nothing always run faster than those with a bulging wallet." Khayon shrugged and said a proverb popular among the people of Palladio.

Then he continued, "The fire you set attracted enough people, so he took advantage of the chaos and planned to attack the other party's lair in one go."

"Well, this is indeed within expectations, but I'm not sure if that group of people can be a match for Black-billed Sparrow Maxwell." Alvin looked up at the downtown area.

Even at the edge of the lower city near the Gate of Heaven, you can see several columns of smoke slowly rising into the sky, which is obviously the scene that appeared after the buildings were set on fire.

After a quick count, apart from the canary cage in the big casino that was set on fire by Alvin, there were still no less than twelve columns of smoke left. It was obvious that the all-out war between the Orphan Gang and the Black-billed Sparrow Gang had already begun.

In the game, Ivan knew that the future of Lutetia's Lower Town was under the complete rule of the Blackbeak Gang. Therefore, he had no idea what the Orphan Gang, which was supposed to have been destroyed by then, was like.

But just looking at the current situation, Alvin felt that this downtown gang should not be too weak, otherwise the other party would not have the confidence to challenge the Black-billed Sparrow.

"I think they have a chance of defeating their current opponents. The gang leader is a pretty powerful guy. At least he doesn't just bully ordinary people like his peers. Although he also collects protection fees, he lets his subordinates ensure the cleanliness and order of the entire street. Therefore, the profits of the vendors and shops on the streets under his control are better than those in other places. Ordinary people actually support him and his gang very much." Ka Yang said with some emotion.

"This is the power of order." Ivan said softly:

"Yes, for civilians, even the order established by gangs is much better than no order at all." Khayon nodded in agreement.

"Furthermore, those orphaned gang members are more daring and aggressive than the average gang member. They also trust each other very much, and many of them even directly block arrows for their companions."

"I suspect that if they were given a few more years to develop steadily, even without external intervention, they would be able to completely overthrow the traditional gang called the Black-billed Sparrow." Ka Yang said with a hint of emotion.

"Oh? If that's the case, it's indeed worth looking forward to." Hearing this, Alvin suddenly felt a little confused.

If the Orphan Gang's strength is really as surprising as Khayon said, then how could they lose in the original plot?

While thinking, Ivan heard Khayon ask him:

"But then again, are you so naive to believe what that noblewoman says? So-called grassroots autonomy in the lower district doesn't offer any obvious benefits to the nobles, does it?"

"It doesn't matter whether I believe it or not, because she is a newly appointed security inspector." Ivan came to his senses and explained:

"Other nobles might not care whether the Lower Town, a garbage can, has its own opinions. But a newly appointed security inspector, even putting aside personal moral issues, urgently needs some achievements to secure her position. At least on the surface, a significant improvement in the security situation in the Lower Town is a good achievement."

"I see." Khayang nodded, then showed that expression of wanting to be beaten again.

"Hey, then why did you use the excuse of 'you are a good person' before? Are you really trying to seduce her?" The necromancer made a vulgar gesture and deliberately imitated the tone that Ivan had used when speaking to Catherine just now.

"That's enough, are you done yet? Let's get down to business! Let's get down to business!" Alvin glared at the necromancer with a straw head in anger.

"Hehe." Khayon laughed strangely and didn't care at all.

After the joke, Alvin suddenly sighed.

"If they weren't good people who still had some light in their hearts, how could any noble in this era care whether ordinary people were living in a garbage dump?"

"People like this might be seen as nosy fools, but I wish there were more of them."

"A fool..." Upon hearing this, the joking expression on Kayang's face gradually disappeared.

He couldn't help but recall the little girl who bounced around in his childhood. Back then, he had thought her silly and even worried she'd been deceived. But now, that girl had become the new queen of the northern nation of Elrond, and was leading the country in a better direction.

"Indeed." The Necromancer chuckled.

"Sometimes having more fools is a good thing."

After a moment of silence, Alvin continued:

"Let's go back to the orphanage first. If anything unexpected happens, the gang leader named Canon will probably go there to look for us."

"Hey, this is getting more and more interesting."

As they spoke, their backs gradually disappeared into the complex streets of the downtown area.

At the headquarters of the Black Sparrow Gang, in a rather large tavern, thugs from the Orphan Gang were fighting with thugs from the Black Sparrow Gang.

Similar scenes occurred elsewhere in downtown, with members of the Orphan Gang, with blue strips wrapped around their arms, brawling with members of the Black Sparrow Gang, who were wearing black wide-brimmed hats and black vests.

"Kill them!"

"Don't let anyone go!"

"Let's go together!"

Accompanied by roars and noises filled with murderous intent, all kinds of simple weapons cut through the air and chopped on the living flesh and blood.

The hatchet embedded in the shoulder, the dagger pierced the chest, everyone was shaking, and the whole tavern was in complete chaos.

Canon, the leader of the Orphan Gang, wearing a crimson suit, also rushed to the front.

As a Transcendent, even at the first level, he already possessed physical fitness beyond the limits of an ordinary person. Furthermore, years of experience in street fighting had endowed this orphaned gang member with a keen intuition about danger.

Whoosh!

Canon tilted his head, and a flying knife flew past his ear and hit the heavy oak barrel behind him.

Half of the blade of the flying knife sank into the thick and sturdy wooden barrel. Dark red wine flowed out from the gap like blood, and the remaining half of the blade trembled violently and made a buzzing sound.

This shows how dangerous this sneak attack is. If you are stabbed in the vitals, you will probably be stabbed to death and never see the sun again.

But Canon, who escaped the disaster, had a happy smile on his face, which showed that he didn't care about life or death at all. He even had the leisure to pick up a glass, put it under the dark red wine flowing along the flying knife, slowly took half a glass, and poured it all into his mouth in one breath.

With a loud crash, the wine glass fell heavily to the ground and broke into countless pieces in an instant.

"Quick Jack, you're Blackbeak's most trusted subordinate, but there's probably only half a glass of wine in this water!?" Canon roughly wiped the wine stains from the corners of his mouth with the back of his hand, then laughed and shouted:

"Brothers, smash this black shop for me!"

"Yes!"

Then came the fighting shouts and roars of the Orphan Gang.

Seeing this, the Blackbeak Gang member who had thrown the knife couldn't help but look even uglier. His nickname was Quick Knife Jack, so he was naturally an experienced knife wielder, and the knife was his hidden killer move.

But he didn't expect that even in the chaotic fight, the orphan who didn't even know who his parents were could so easily avoid the deadly flying knife he threw.

Looking at the bastard who drank his treasured wine without any intention of paying, Jack the Knife only regretted not coating the knife with poison so that he could not kill him by drinking it!

"Boss Maxwell is watching you. Kill these orphans without parents!" Jack the Knife shouted at the top of his lungs.

Then, he waved the cavalry scimitar in his hand and shouted at his subordinates to go forward and fight to the death.

Faced with the Black-billed Sparrow Gang members who outnumbered them, the Orphan Gang collectively sang a bad nursery rhyme.

"My hands are empty, I can only clench my fists. I have no parents, but I have brothers..."

As the ugly and vulgar songs played, the eyes of every member of the Orphan Gang began to turn bloodshot and red.

Although the weapons in their hands are equally simple, no matter whether they are sharpened iron sheets or sharpened wooden sticks, as long as the holders are full of murderous intent, they are still weapons that can kill people!

The melee intensified, the air was filled with blood and screams, and Jack the Knife could only feel his hands holding the knife trembling constantly, but he could not escape, because this was the Blackbill Tavern, the lair of Blackbill Maxwell.

As Maxwell's most trusted subordinate, Jack the Knife is also the one who fears him the most.

Even though the other party was cruel and terrifying, he did not dare to disobey the leader's orders.

Gradually, the Orphans began to gain the upper hand, and their fearless style was far beyond the ability of the Blackbill Gang to resist. No matter how Jack Knife swung his hard-earned cavalry scimitar, the Blackbill Gang members gradually scattered like fleeing rats.

Finally, accompanied by the creaking sound of old wooden floors, Jack the Knife, who was standing on the second floor of the tavern, gritted his teeth as he watched the blood-covered leader of the Orphan Gang walking towards him on the stairs.

He held a short axe in one hand and a crude iron hammer in the other. Blood kept dripping from the corner of his coat, and the color changed from the original dark red to the current dark brown.

"Come, let me experience the power of the sharpest knife in the downtown area." Canon looked at the cavalry scimitar in the hand of Jack the Swift with a grim smile.

"Hmph, since you want to die, I'll help you!" Jack the Swift Knife snorted coldly, and suddenly swung out the cavalry scimitar in his hand.

The dim tavern seemed to suddenly light up, and the sharp blade reflecting the light of the gas lamp suddenly flashed, slashing from both sides in turn, constantly drawing one dangerous and deadly arc after another.

In response, Canon rolled on the ground without caring about his image, awkwardly avoiding the knife attacks aimed at his vitals. Then, he actually threw away the hatchet and hammer in his hands and directly grabbed Quick Jack's legs with his bare hands.

The blade left several bloody narrow wounds on Canon's body, but his unexpected move also made Quick Knife Jack stunned for a moment. This less than half a second of shock completely destroyed all his possibilities of victory.

"Get up!" Canon roared and threw Jack the Knife heavily down from the second floor.

Bah!

Jack the Knife fell on a wooden table, and the four legs of the table collapsed and broke instantly, and his arm was also broken. The white broken bones even pierced through the flesh.

This was not the end yet. Then, someone stepped hard on the chest of Jack the Knife. It turned out to be Canon who jumped down from the second floor and fell on him!

With a crackling sound, Jack the Knife's ribs broke and a large amount of foamy blood spurted out of his mouth.

Canon wiped the blood from his face, sneered and looked down at Jack the Knife who was not far from death.

"So this is the fastest knife in downtown? Looks like you're as old as that cruel bastard Maxwell!"

"Ahem, ahem, don't... be so complacent..." Jack the Knife looked at Canon with a distorted expression.

"Aren't you... curious... about why the boss never... shows up?"

Hearing this, Canon's expression changed.

"We have many more people than you. Now, we have burned all of your territory...all of it! But the boss said..." Seeing his expression change, Jack the Knife couldn't help but reveal an ugly and vicious grin.

"Let's start from that orphanage!" Words filled with curses and resentment, along with blood foam, spurted out of his mouth.

As a result, Canon's expression suddenly calmed down, and he even showed a hint of pity.

"Oh, then he's really unlucky."

Chapter 61: The Decaying Prince

In a dim room somewhere in the upper town of Lutetia, an old man with a face covered with wrinkles like rotten wood was lying in a rocking chair with his eyes squinted.

A ray of light shone on his face through the heavy curtains, and the floating dust fluttered back and forth like flying insects in the light, just like flies hovering around a piece of rotten meat.

Beside him were many humming magical devices and alchemical equipment. Most of them had white or brass-colored shells, connected to glass vessels containing various potions and alchemical agents. They also slowly and continuously injected the agents into the old man's body through hoses and needles, maintaining his already decaying life.

"Your Highness." A deliberately low voice came from the shadows not illuminated by the sun.

In Linde, due to the decline of the previous generation of royal family, there is only one person who can be called a prince. That person is the Butcher Prince Louis Carolingian, who has survived since the last Demon War.

"Hmm." Louis, who was already very old, opened his eyes with difficulty. One could even see accumulated yellow-brown secretions in the corners of his eyes. This might be normal for ordinary old people, but it was abnormal for high-level transcendents because their bodies should always be maintained in the optimal physiological state. It could only be said that Louis was too old.

The prince currently looks older than an average man in his seventies or eighties. Almost all the muscles in his body appear to have shriveled up, and his skin is covered with layers of wrinkles.

Rather than an old man, it is more like a monster that should be dead but is not yet dead, or a breathing corpse.

But only those eyes, when they were fully opened, revealed a clear and bright light like a child's.

In the sunlight shining through the gaps in the curtains, one can see the almost decayed prince holding a sleeping beagle in his arms. The little guy's shiny fur reveals a youthful and healthy aura.

This is a purebred Linde Foxhound. Compared to its original ancestor, the St. Hubert's Hound (also known as the Bloodhound, one of the oldest, purest and largest scent hounds in human history), they are much smaller in size and not as large and strong as those ancient ancestors.

But when it comes to smell, the Lindsey Foxhounds are even more acute and can even track a slight scent left behind fourteen days ago.

And, just as its name suggests, this hound is very good at chasing foxes and is a good helper for nobles when they hunt foxes during the hunting season.

Fox hunting, an ancient activity, was once the most popular leisure and social activity for the upper class, but it is now declining. Racing and other more exciting things have become the new favorites of young aristocrats.

However, the value of the foxhound still remains at a very high level due to its aristocratic characteristics. A large number of emerging wealthy businessmen and new aristocrats who became wealthy after investing in the magic industry have begun to pursue pure-blooded foxhounds to show their own taste, and even regard owning a pure-blooded hound as an honor.

"What's the matter?" the prince asked in a vague voice.

"There's a riot in the downtown area." The subordinate in the shadows said briefly:

"To what extent?" Prince Louis' eyes changed slightly, and the air around him instantly became heavy as if solidified.

As soon as he thought about it, the uncontrollable magical pressure spread out in all directions. The complex magic circle on the carpet emitted a faint light, controlling the pressure within the room.

The beagle seemed to sense the change in atmosphere, letting out a frightened 'wool' and curling up into a ball on the old man's legs.

"Don't be afraid, don't be afraid." Prince Louis quickly and laboriously put away his imposing manner, rubbed the beagle's neck with his hand, and coaxed the frightened little guy.

"The Canary Casino burned down, and the second-ranked gang went to war with the Black Canary Gang." The subordinate continued in a cold sweat.

"Where's the Moulin Rouge?" Louis asked as he soothed the beagle.

"There were disturbances, but they were not as serious as the Canary Casino being burned down," the subordinate said immediately.

"Humph, places like that that wear down the spirit of young people are the ones that should be destroyed. Back then, our generation..." Louis shook his head in disdain. After a moment's thought, he continued, "What a shame!"

"Has the Gate of Heaven been affected?" For some reason, when the old prince spoke of this, his voice suddenly revealed a hint of desire and expectation, like a child waiting for a gift to appear.

"Not yet." The subordinate denied in a low voice.

"Then there's nothing more to say." Prince Louis sighed in disappointment.

"Well, my family seems to be safe, so what about the border? Elrond? The Great Wild Forest? The Desert Kingdom? Even the Genoese Confederation is fine!" Louis' voice was filled with the last glimmer of hope.

"...There's no fighting on the border." The subordinate was silent for a moment, then shook his head and replied softly:

"Oh, I knew it, that's why I hope that group of untouchables will directly start a riot. Otherwise, these weak young people will not agree to send out the army. You know, our country hasn't seen blood for a long time..." Prince Louis said with emotion.