Chapter 330 Daughter of Darkness

Chapter 330 Daughter of Darkness

At this time, we had walked out of the hotel. The streets were as chaotic and busy as before. The dusk light shone on everyone's face, revealing a desolation like birds and animals dispersed.

Lu Qi was not in a hurry to go back, but there was nothing to do now.

At this moment, his eyes inadvertently caught sight of something. A small figure flashed past at the corner of the street.

Somewhat familiar.

Lu Qi thought for a moment. There was little chance that he was wrong. After thinking about it, he quickened his pace and walked towards the corner of the street.

When I turned the corner, I didn't see the familiar figure in my sight, and I couldn't help but feel a little more confused.

So he moved on.

Before he knew it, he walked to the door of a tavern.

There seemed to be a lot of people in the tavern. It sounded a bit noisier outside the door than on the street. It seemed like there were all kinds of people gathered inside.

It's summer now, and the entrance of the tavern is just like the Western-style tavern in Lu Qi's impression. There are two wooden doors like fans that can be pushed in and out.

After thinking about it, Lu Qi opened the door and walked in.

The wooden door made a squeaking sound, which did not interrupt the noise in the tavern, but at the same time, many eyes focused on Lu Qi.

Seeing him wearing a cloak and acting mysteriously, many people moved their eyes away without interest.

Keep talking.

"Kurud, Demacia is about to call, aren't you planning to close the tavern?"

"Hey, even if the sky is falling, you have to make money first. Let's wait until we hear the news from Demacia."

"I can only say that you are so brave. You are still thinking about making money at this time."

"After drinking this glass of wine, I am ready to leave. I have always wanted to visit the north, so I will take this opportunity to go north."

"Have you read the recruitment notice above? The rewards are generous. Now, as long as you join the army, you will be given thirty gold."

"Haha, do you dare to ask for money to buy your life?"

"Alas! I didn't expect that it would be inappropriate to stay in Nok Anduo for a long time. I have lived here all my life."

"Who isn't!"

“Wine, wine, wine!”

Various voices of discussion continued.

Lu Qi walked straight to the bar, and actually scanned the inside with his eyes, but didn't find what he was looking for.

He felt strange. Logically speaking, the other party shouldn't have walked so fast.

"Sir, what would you like to order?"

Kurud was the owner of the tavern. After seeing Lu Qi, he came over and asked.

Lu Qi took out a gold coin and placed it on the bar: "Here's your best wine."

Kurud took a look and then said: "Sir, I'm sorry, the price of wine has increased now. The best wine we have here costs this amount."

As he spoke, he raised three fingers.

Lu Qi didn't hesitate when he saw this, and took out two more gold coins.

"Okay, sir, wait a moment."

Kurud took the gold coins, then turned around to prepare wine.

If you dare to open a tavern in a dangerous war-torn area, the price of alcohol will naturally rise sharply, otherwise there will be no point.

Lu Qi didn't mind the three gold coins either.

In addition to being famous for its wars, Noxus is also famous for Runeterra.

That’s their winemaking process.

People in this country love to drink, and the wine they produce is also very high-quality and well received.

The more famous ones are wine. Because the regional flavors are different, Lu Qi also wants to try the taste of Noxian wine.

While the boss was pouring wine, Lu Qi sat quietly.

In a corner of the tavern, three people glanced there from time to time, and then they talked in low voices.

"Like a traveler, coming alone."

"He seems to be a rich man. Did you hear the clattering sound when he was withdrawing money from behind?"

"Boss Mal, do you think we can make a fortune?"

The man named Mal looked at Lu Qi again out of the corner of his eye, and nodded slightly with a calm expression: "It doesn't seem difficult, just keep an eye on it first, and wait until you get out of the tavern to take action."

The three of them looked at each other and drank in tacit understanding.

In this period of war and weak laws, there are naturally some bolder people who directly challenge the law.

Even Noxus naturally has a set of laws and regulations, and there are different penalties for theft, robbery, and murder.

But when the war came and the law was ineffective, some people started to have evil thoughts.

These people often use violent means to obtain huge benefits.

"Sir, the wine you ordered."

Kurud placed a glass of carefully prepared wine in front of Lu Qi. A unique fragrance exuded from the wine glass, and there was a sprig of mint inserted in it.

The color of the wine is purple with a hint of bright red. It looks very clear and makes people want to take a sip.

Lu Qi picked it up, sniffed it with his nose, and analyzed the ingredients inside.

There are not too many things added that affect the taste of the wine. It has a high level of purely natural ingredients and the taste is naturally fermented. Generally speaking, there is no problem.

Then he took a gentle sip, and it was slightly astringent in the mouth, followed by the aroma of grapes, with a hint of mint, and then the aroma of wine, sweet with the aroma of wine.

The quality of the grapes is definitely good. Although it is a bit inferior to the wine Lu Qi makes himself, the quality of the wine is also on the higher side.

While Lu Qi was tasting wine, the door of the tavern was opened again, and a man with a rough face walked in first. He strode to the bar and slapped a pile of silver and copper coins on the table. He said boldly: "Boss! Two glasses of strong wine!"

"okay."

Kurud glanced at him without saying anything, took the money, ordered it, and went to prepare the wine.

At this time, the door creaked again, and people's eyes unconsciously gathered there. This time, many people showed surprise and confusion.

The person who walked into the tavern this time was a little girl with a delicate face and a very cute pink face. She had fiery red hair and was holding a tattered doll in her hand. She was carrying a small, damaged bag on her back, and her skirt was in tatters and had strangely short sleeves.

It doesn't seem to fit at all, it's longer on the left and shorter on the right, and it looks like it's been worn for a long time.

People thought she was with the rugged man, but the rugged man just glanced at her and looked away. They obviously didn't know each other.

The little girl climbed up on a high stool, her eyes barely above the bar, and then said in a childish voice, pretending to be bold: "Excuse me, two glasses of milk!"

While Kurud was preparing spirits for the guests in front of him, he glanced at the little girl: "Little girl, milk is not cheap now. Do you have enough money with you?"

Milk has never been cheap, and the output was not large. Now with the arrival of Demacia, the price has skyrocketed.

It’s not much different than the most expensive drinks.

The little girl still said boldly: "Go ahead, I have plenty of money!"

"Really? How many do you have?"

Kurud looked at the door of the tavern to see when the little girl's family would come.

However, he did not wait for anyone. Instead, he was startled by the sound of a large coin bag falling on the table.

The money bag was bulging, and as it was thrown on the table, its mouth was suddenly opened. What was even more frightening was that several gold coins rolled out of it, one of which was rolling towards the edge.

Lu Qi happened to be sitting on the edge, reached out to catch it, and put it back without saying a word.

He scanned it, and the few gold coins that rolled out were nothing compared to what was in the money bag.

What was placed on the bar at the moment was a money bag filled with gold coins, which immediately attracted the attention of everyone in the tavern.

"Is this enough?"

the little girl asked in an innocent voice.

Kurud swallowed, feeling his mouth go dry for a while. Based on his experience, he had already sensed that something was wrong with this little girl.

How could such a young child get so much money?

Moreover, it is not appropriate to reveal so much at this time.

He quickly put down what he was doing, picked up the scattered coins, then picked up another one from the money bag and said: "These are enough, you put the rest away."

"good."

The little girl responded obediently, took back the money bag, and put it into her own small bag.

Then he sat on the stool, with a happy expectant smile on his face, and began to wait patiently.

At this moment, the tavern returned to its previous noisy state.

Many people did not pay much attention to this unexpected guest.

The three people sitting in the corner looked at each other and saw greed in each other's eyes.

"It feels like this one has more oil and water."

"That's no nonsense, just that bag of money is quite a sum."

"We want both, let's get this done first."

Mal stood up at this moment. He was very tall, at least two meters tall, with a broad body and two thick bare arms with several scars on them.

There was a big knife slung across his back, and the words "not easy to mess with" were barely printed on his face.

Then the two people behind him also stood up, and the three of them walked towards the little girl together.

"Little girl, it's almost dark. It's not a good idea to go out alone, right?"

Mal came to the little girl and said hello.

The little girl looked up at him and blinked: "I'm not alone. Tibbers is with me."

She raised the teddy bear in her hand as if to show off, shook the teddy bear's arm as if to say hello, and a smile appeared on her cute face.

This teddy bear looks furry, and it can be seen that someone carefully sewn it with great care.

The stitches at the seams of the limbs have been exposed after years of pulling, and a button is missing from the eyes that should have been black holes.

This teddy bear is as full of a sense of age as the little girl's clothes.

"Really?" Mal laughed twice, and then said, "Where are your parents? They are probably looking for you anxiously now."

At a time like this, it's hard not to think that this little girl is a lost child. Her parents must be looking for her anxiously.

Looking at her clothes, it was obvious that she had been lost for a long time.

It's hard not to be tempted by such a lost little girl with such a large amount of money.

Now we only need to confirm the situation of her parents before we can take action.

Hearing this, the smile on the little girl's face disappeared, her eyes flickered downward, and her voice became a little lower: "It's impossible."

You could hear the uncontrollable disappointment in her tone.

Mal pressed, "Why?"

"Because they're dead."

The little girl obviously didn't want to continue talking about this topic with Mal. After answering the question, she turned away. At this time, Kurud's milk was ready.

It was filled with a porcelain cup and brought over.

"Thanks."

Seeing the milk she had longed for, the little girl suddenly became happy. The smile on her face swept away the gloominess. After politely thanking her, she picked up the cup and took a big sip.

After putting down the cup, her lips were stained with the color of milk.

But looking at her satisfied look, it was obvious that she was extremely satisfied with this mouthful of milk.

"Tibbers, the milk in this store tastes great."

She held up the teddy bear in her hand and talked to it as if sharing it.

Behind her, Mal and the other three did not leave, but looked at each other again.

Mal spoke again at this time: "Little girl, it's not safe for you to carry so much money with you. Where are you going next? Why not let your uncles protect you for a while."

The little girl said innocently: "No need, Tibbers will protect me, right?"

She shook the teddy bear in her hand, her eyes never leaving it.

These words made Mal and the three of them laugh out loud. As if he had already obtained consent, he sat down on a chair beside him unceremoniously: "Don't worry, we will protect you, but before that, give the three uncles Order a drink, talk so much, and feel a little thirsty."

"boom!"

At this moment, the rough man who had ordered the strong drink drank all the wine in the cup in one gulp, his face turned a little rosy, and then he slammed the cup on the table with a loud sound.

"Are you three done?"

He widened his eyes and looked at the three Mal.

In fact, many people in the tavern have already noticed what is going on here. Everyone knows what the three of them want to do.

At present, these three people have caused a lot of people's dissatisfaction.

Rugged men are the first to endure it.

Mal glanced at him sideways and said coldly: "What does it have to do with you?"

The rugged man shouted loudly: "I'm drunk because of the noise, so get away!"

"Really? Why don't you go away and drink? You are still an eyesore to us now!"

A man standing behind Mal suddenly spoke. With a sneer on his face, he put his arm around Mal's shoulders: "Do you know who he is? Mal Cardon."

As soon as this name came out, the expressions of many people in the tavern suddenly changed.

Even the rugged man's face darkened a bit.

"Mal Cardon? Is that the bounty hunter?"

"Hiss, I didn't expect him to be here."

"Who is Mal Cardon?"

"Haven't you heard? This guy is a bounty hunter. He takes any job and does whatever it takes for money. The most important thing is that he is very powerful. Many people can't do anything to him."

"Shh, don't let him hear it."

Whispering voices could be heard from everywhere in the tavern.

A faint smile appeared on Mal's face, and he looked at the rugged man with oppressive eyes.

The rough man's face turned a bit green, and he finally chose to hold another glass of wine, left the bar, and chose a table to sit down at.

Most bounty hunters have no standard of good or bad. As long as they have money, they will do anything.

Not to mention, in such a war-torn area, it is a world of bounty hunters. Demacia's strength has made them more and more rampant and lawless.

Marr is a well-known bounty hunter in this area. He has done several big deals and his strength is recognized as extraordinary.

Now, even though people know that he is obviously eyeing the little girl's bag of money, no one dares to speak out anymore.

It's not worth getting yourself into trouble for someone else's business.

Even if you are a chivalrous person, you must have strength. Although the rough man escaped just now, no one looked down on him.

At least he stood up.

At this time, several people even stood up and left the tavern.

"Little girl, have you seen that? None of them are as powerful as my uncle. I will protect you from now on, and you will definitely be safe."

Mal now looked at the little girl who had been drinking milk quietly.

After hearing this, the little girl shook her head and repeated, "No, Tibbers will protect me."

Mal's face stiffened, and there was a bit of coldness in his eyes.

Now that the purpose has been exposed, it seems that there is no difference whether it is soft or hard.

He snorted coldly and stretched out his hand, intending to rob it.

Suddenly, he felt a squeeze behind him.

A younger brother was forced to take two steps back and cursed angrily: "Damn guy, what are you doing?"

Mal turned around, only to find that the guy in the cloak had already sat on the chair next door.

He was slowly drinking wine from the glass.

When did he sit here?

Mal realized that he hadn't even noticed.

At this time, Lu Qi had already taken off his cloak and showed a smiling face: "Since the three of you are so powerful, I wonder if you are interested in taking an order from me."

"oh?"

Mal ignored the question just now, became a little more interested, and said, "It's not cheap to hire us. What do you want us to do?"

Lu Qi always kept a smile on his face: "I want you to find a pillar and hit it to death. Don't live in shame anymore."

As soon as he finished speaking, the whole tavern suddenly became quiet.

Everyone looked at the warrior who spoke with unbelievable eyes.

Does anyone dare to provoke Mal at this time?

Mal's face suddenly turned cold, and he slowly reached for the hilt of the knife behind his back: "I originally wanted to find trouble for you kid after I left the tavern, but I didn't expect that you wouldn't open your eyes."

There were sneers on the lips of his two younger brothers. In a place where the law is increasingly unreliable, Mal can protect himself even if he kills someone on the street!

If you want to blame, just blame this guy for not having eyesight!

It’s simply courting death!

At this tense moment, Lu Qi slowly drank the last sip of wine in the glass and suddenly moved.

With a "crash", the cloak floated up, covering Mal's sight, followed by a flash of sword light.

The two younger brothers only saw a flash of light in front of their eyes, with a contemptuous sneer still on their faces.

However, at this moment, they noticed that Mal kept making grunting sounds. Looking over, they saw that he was covering his neck in fear with one hand, and a large amount of blood was flowing there.

Then, he fell backwards, with a look of disbelief in his eyes, and he didn't even take out his weapon from his back until he died.

As his hand weakly let go, a large amount of blood spurted out from Mal's neck.

"Mal?"

"Brother!?"

The two boys' eyes widened and they didn't realize what happened, but they knew it must have been the man in the cloak who did something.

So they angrily took out their weapons, a dagger and a short sword, flashing with cold light, and slashed at Lu Qi without saying a word.

This time, they saw clearly the movement of Lu Qi's sword, and they felt that the sword was extremely fast, and it appeared in front of them in a split second.

And then what happened?

They don't know anymore.

Both of them covered their necks with fear on their faces, and kept retreating. Blood sprayed everywhere, and not long after, two new corpses appeared on the ground.

A few drops of blood spilled into the milk glass that the little girl drank more than half of, which made her frown and bulge her face in dissatisfaction.

"I'm sorry for soiling your milk. I'll pay you two cups later."

Lu Qi put away his sword and stood beside the little girl and said.

The little girl looked up at him, as if thinking for a moment, then nodded, and relaxed her frown: "Okay, I forgive you."

"Get out of here first, the environment is dirty."

Lu Qi said and walked out.

The little girl looked at his back, looked at Tibbers, then jumped off the high stool and followed him step by step.

From beginning to end, neither of them glanced at the three corpses on the ground.

After they left, the wooden door made a "squeak" and "squeak" sound, and the people in the tavern took a deep breath, and some people wiped the cold sweat from their foreheads.

They looked at the bodies of the three Marls on the ground and swallowed their saliva.

In an instant, three of Mal's people were killed.

Who was that man just now?

"May I have your name?"

"Annie, his name is Tibbers."

Walking on the street, Annie didn't seem to be affected by the deaths of Mal and the three of them. While introducing herself, she introduced the teddy bear that had never left her hand.

"Where's big brother?"

"My name is Lu Qi."

Lu Qi also briefly said his name, and he saw it correctly before.

The little girl named Annie was the hero he knew.

Daughter of Darkness - Anne.

This little girl's life experience can be considered very pitiful. Now she has no relatives in the world and is wandering alone in the territory of Noxus.

Lu Qi didn't expect to meet her here.

However, although this little girl is said to be wandering alone, looking at the large amount of money she carries, you can know that her life is not particularly bad.

As for safety, just talking about Mal and the three just now, in fact, they couldn't do anything to her at all.

After all, the teddy bear in Annie's arms is indeed not something to be trifled with.

He glanced at the teddy bear, thought for a moment, and asked, "Annie, what are your and Tibbs' plans next?"

"Me and Tibbers?"

This was the first time that Annie saw someone ask her such a strange question. She tilted her head and looked at Lu Qi: "Why did eldest brother bring Tibbers with him?"

Lu Qi smiled: "Isn't it your partner and bodyguard?"

Annie blinked her big eyes: "But it's just a teddy bear."

"." Lu Qi was silent for a moment and said, "So you know."

"Of course I know. Tibbers is a gift from my mother."

A pure and lovely smile broke out on Annie's face. She lifted Tibbs up and looked into his eyes with a look of joy. "But Tibbs is not just a teddy bear. All adults think he is a furry bear." It’s a toy. I’m the only one who knows that it’s not just a toy. Now, big brother, you think so too, which is great. Tibbers, this is the first time that I agree with you.”

She seemed genuinely happy, twirling Tibbers's limbs and making a show of dancing.

Then she looked at Lucci happily and said, "Tibbers said it was also very happy."

She turned her head, but did not notice that her cute Tibbers, with her button-like black pea eyes, showed a somewhat human look.

A bit doubtful, a bit shocked, a bit scared, like a fan diagram.

Lu Qi glanced at the teddy bear, smiled slightly, then looked at Annie and asked, "So back to the topic, Annie, what are your plans next?"

"Intend?"

"It's where to go or what to do next."

"I don't know." Annie now understood the meaning of the plan and shook her head: "Annie doesn't seem to have any plans."

She has always been walking forward, wherever she goes.

If there is anything you want to do, do it immediately.

But most of the time, what she wanted to do was chat with Tibbers.

Lu Qi confirmed: "Is it true?"

He watched Annie start to lower her head and think.

After a while, Annie raised her head, her eyes sparkling: "Annie wants to find a good friend! And...Annie wants to find her mother."

As she talked about the latter part, the light in her eyes dimmed a bit, and her voice became softer as she lowered her head.

"Aren't your parents dead?"

Lu Qi said, although the topic is a bit too realistic and cruel for a child. But he knew that Anne could actually accept it, and she also knew what death meant.

"Dad and godmother are dead." Annie remembered some sad past events, her face became a little gloomier and sad, and she seemed not to want to say the next words.

Lu Qi probably knew the reason. Annie's father and godmother died in a fire, and this fire was set by her unconsciously.

"In that case, just follow me."

Lu Qi put his hand on Annie's head and whispered.

Annie raised her head and asked in confusion: "Hum?"

Lu Qi explained: "From now on, I will take you to eat and drink spicy food."

"As long as you like it, it's fine. If you want spicy food, Annie doesn't like spicy food."

Anne understood the literal meaning. Judging from her disgusted look, she really disliked spicy food.

Then she raised her head again and looked at Lu Qi with her big innocent eyes: "Dad said that some people have ulterior motives when approaching Annie. Just like the three bad guys just now, big brother, you are also aiming at Did Annie’s money come from?”

Lu Qi laughed and said, "As for money, I can get as much as I want."

Annie tilted her head and continued to stare at him, as if thinking about something.

Then she suddenly returned her gaze and nodded to herself: "Okay then, Annie will just follow the big brother first."

She can naturally tell that some people approach her with more than pure intentions.

And Tibbs will help her get rid of these people.

But she felt that the big brother in front of her was not such a person.

On the contrary, she actually liked this big brother whom she met for the first time.

If that's the case, then just follow him and "hang out" first!