When the wind from the sewer pours into the back streets and alleys, it always brings a kind of rotten sweetness.
Vera pressed the hood very low and walked along the slippery slate road of "Grey Lane". It is not far from the garrison area of Wangdu, but the patrolling guards rarely set foot on it. Most of the people living in Grey Lane are displaced people who have lost their land, disabled veterans, and some craftsmen who can't see the light.
She stopped in front of a tavern where even the signboard was smoked black. The wooden door of the pub was half covered, and there was a smell of inferior barley wine evaporating, mixed with a few vulgar shouts.
"Cedric! You old dog! When will you pay back the money for the alcohol you owe? Do you think you are still a general riding a horse in the North?"
Vera did not go in immediately, but stood in the shadow outside the door and looked in through the crack of the door.
At the table in the corner of the tavern, a man with gray hair and a straight back was holding a glass of turbid liquid. His left hand gripped the edge of the cup tightly, and the blue veins on the back of his hand bulged like earthworms. The sleeve of the arm was empty and swayed slightly in the wind - it was the left arm that was cut off by the queen with a knight's sword in the name of "holy will" when he begged for mercy for the Sinclair family five years ago.
After losing his left arm, the empire deprived him of his military position and took back his land. The fierce general who once beheaded the flag on the northern border now has to buy a cup of the worst-quality fermented wheat wine on credit.
"Three more days of grace, old Tom." Cedric's voice was as hoarse as an airbox leaking. He didn't look up, but just pushed the wine glass away with his right hand. "I'll go to the dock next week to work, and then I'll pay you back the capital."
"Go to the dock to carry the bag?" The owner of the pub was a smooth fat man. He sneered and stretched out his hand to grab Cedric's collar. "With your current appearance? It's not even the lowest labour in the empire! If you don't hand over the money today, leave this arm as well--"
The boss's words stopped abruptly, because a large silver coin hit the wooden table in front of him.
Vera walked into the pub and shook off the drops of water on the cloak. She wore an expressionless silver mask, and half of her face was hidden in the shadow. Gray, the scarry man behind him, is like a silent iron tower, pressing the handle of the knife on his waist with one hand.
"I paid for the wine. The rest is to invite everyone in this room to drink. Vera's voice was not loud, but it was clearly transmitted in the noisy sound wave. "I'll pack the tavern tonight. Get out."
The owner of the pub looked at the silver coins on the table, and then glanced at Gray, who was full of flesh. He swallowed his saliva, quickly grabbed the silver coins into his pocket, and dragged the other drinkers out of the door.
There were only three people left in the tavern, and the sour smell of poor-quality barley wine in the air became stronger.
Cedric did not relax his vigilance. He slowly touched under the table with his only remaining right hand, where a half-breaken dagger was hidden. He raised his head, his eyes were full of blood, and he stared at Vera: "The 'snake believer' in the black market. What are you looking for me for? Catch me and go back to get the reward? Or do you want to buy my worthless head?"
"Your life is worthless now, Cedric." Vera walked to the opposite of him and sat down. Gray moved a chair and sat behind her, blocking the view outside the tavern. "But five years ago, on the night when the Sinclair family was accused of 'colluding with the enemy and treason', you were the only one in the whole king who dared to stand up in the court and say that it was a trap."
Cedric's breathing suddenly stopped for a moment. His calloused fingers squeezed the wine glass tightly, and his knuckles turned blue and white.
"Don't talk to me about that year." He suddenly raised his head, drank the turbid barley wine in the glass, and smashed the glass on the table. "Do you want to blackmail me with this matter? Or do you think I will die for a dead family?"
"I don't want to hold you hostage." Vera's tone was calm, "I want to make a deal with you."
She took out a folded piece of paper from her cuff and pushed it to Cedric. The corners of the paper are slightly rolled up, and the ink marks are old. On it is a military account book marked with specific numbers and dates.
"This is the black account swallowed from the military supplies of the northern border Defence army in the past three years by the private treasury under the queen's name." Vera's fingers gently tapped on the table, "Only the general in charge of the logistics of Beijing can understand the secrets of this account book. Sedric, you have exchanged five years of depression for a end-of-a-waiting end of sitting in a tavern waiting for death. Now, I'll give you a chance to let the queen lose what she cares about most.
Cedric didn't pick up the account book. His eyes were fixed on the edge of Vera's silver mask. The skin there is smooth and delicate, which is completely different from the right half of the face.
"What kind of person are you?" There was a hint of vigilance and test in his voice, "Why do you want to help me? Or do you want to use me to deal with the queen and then sit in a higher position by yourself?"
Vera didn't answer. She stood up and walked to the window of the tavern. It was raining outside, and the rain dripped down the eaves. She pulled the curtains.
"I don't trust you." Cedric continued, his voice slightly raised, "You are just an intelligence dealer hiding in the sewer, a maggot in the black market. Do you want me to be your knife? With a so-called intelligence, you want me to die for you? The queen has a whole order of knights, the magic of holy light, and the iron-faced and selfless commander of Ren. What did you use to bring her down?"
"You have nothing now, Cedric." Vera turned around and said, "You can only rely on inferior alcohol every day to paralyse yourself and escape from the reality of the waste that you can't even take care of yourself."
Her voice was very soft, but it was like a rusty blade, scratching Cedric's wound fiercely.Cedric stood up abruptly and picked up the half-breaked dagger with his right hand. The blood in his eyes instantly turned into a violent killing intent: "Say it again!"
Gray immediately drew his knife and stood in front of Vera. But Wei stretched out and pressed the handle of Gray's knife.
Facing Cedric's hostile gaze, she walked to the table, took out a very small copper badge with worn edges from the inside of the cloak, and gently put it on the table.
She bought this badge at a high price at a second-hand stall not long ago. A "Silver Wolf Badge" that once belonged to the Sinclair Family Guards.
The moment Cedric saw the badge, his whole body's murderous intent seemed to be suddenly emptiated, and his whole body suddenly froze. His right hand began to tremble, and he couldn't even hold the dagger, and it fell to the ground with a thud.
"You..." Cedric's eyes stared at the badge, and there was an unbelievable tremor in his hoarse voice. "This is... This is Duke Sinclair's bodyguard... Where did you get it?"
"From the dead people." Vera's voice was calm, avoiding the burning sting brought by the old scar. "Even if the Sinclair family commits treason, their guards will not surrender. In order to cover up the truth, the queen hanged them and threw them into the mass grave.
She watched Cedric slowly knelt on the ground, holding up the badge stained with dried blood with trembling hands. The face full of vicissitudes of life was full of great remorse and pain.
"They didn't die on the battlefield, but on the gallows." Vera felt that her throat was a little tight. She paused to keep her voice steady. "Cedric, what the queen wants to cover up is not only the death of the Sinclair family, but also to erase the last backbone of the empire. Now, don't you even have the courage to stand up and tell the truth?"
Silence spread in the tavern for a long time. Cedric knelt on the ground, his forehead against the badge, and the heavy breathing could be heard clearly.
Vera didn't urge him, but just stood in the shadow and watched quietly. She knew that for a general who crawled out of the dead, dignity was more difficult to regain than life. She doesn't need Cedric to kneel down immediately. She just needs him to rekindle the flame of revenge.
After a long time, Cedric finally raised his head. His eyes were still red, and the decadent numbness in the bottom of his eyes had dissipated, replaced by an almost decisive perseverance.
"What should I do?"
"Tomorrow, the commander of the Forbidden Guard, Lane, will interrogate the arrested vice chairman in the Commercial Office of Wangdu." Vera walked over, unfolded a simple map of the royal capital on the table, and pointed to several positions with her fingertips. "You don't need to do anything earth-shattating. You just need to secretly stuff the contents of this account book into Lane's desk before the queen sends someone to kill her mouth.
"That's all?" Cedric frowned and obviously felt that it was too simple.
"Rain is an extremely stubborn and suspicious person. If this letter is sent directly, he may not read it. But what if it was handed over by a dismissed former northern general?" Vera withdrew her hand with a hint of cold play in her tone, "You were cut off by the queen in those years. In your old army, there are still many people serving in the Forbidden Guard. You just need to regard this matter as a 'old general's whistleblower', and Lane will personally investigate it.
Cedric took a deep breath. He picked up the dagger on the ground, put his right hand back into the leather sleeve behind his waist, and stood up.
"I see." His voice was still hoarse, but no longer muddy, "I will handle this matter well. However, I also have a condition.
"Say it."
"I will personally watch the queen fall from that position." Cedric's eyes crossed Vera and looked at the dark night outside the window. His eyes were like the wolf before charging on the battlefield. "Even if you just use me as a stepping stone, I want her to fall to pieces."
Vera didn't smile and didn't say any comforting words. She just nodded gently: "deal."
She turned around and pushed the door open, and the cold wind outside poured in with rain, blowing the oil lamp on the table swaying. Gray followed her, and the two walked into the rain of the gray alley one after and one.
Walking out of the gray alley, Gray lowered his voice and asked, "Boss, do you think he is reliable? After all, he hasn't touched a knife for five years.
"It will be known tomorrow if he is reliable or not." Vera raised her head slightly and let the cold rain wet the edge of the hood. Her left eye was particularly bright in the dark. "But the source of his hatred is the queen, which is enough for me."
Five years ago, Cedric was exiled with a broken arm because of his "momentary conscience"; five years later, the rusty knife would follow the black account of the queen's private treasury and stab into the core of the crown of crying blood.
The rain is getting heavier and heavier, washing away the dirt on the slate road. Vera strode to the entrance of the underground passage. The road under her feet was still cold, but the gears of revenge had begun to accelerate.