When Ming Na took a look, she felt something was wrong. Grandpa uses a long sword and rarely takes it out. He always keeps it in a storage ring. What's more, if he wants to enter the room, why should he be sneaky? If he was afraid of waking himself up, it wouldn't be a problem at all as he was walking lightly.
If it wasn’t grandpa, who could it be? Before leaving, grandpa had asked her to lock the door. How could others come in so easily? Even as an innkeeper, there is no reason to carry a knife.
Could it be a thief? ! robber? Thief
Ming Na quietly slid out of bed and saw a foot slowly stepping in through the crack of the door, followed by most of his head. It was so dark that he couldn't see his face clearly, but the way he looked around, she felt that he was not a good person. .
what to do? Grandpa is not here, and the potion box is in the ring. Apart from clothes, quilts, and books, the only things I have on hand are the original teapots, cups, tables, chairs, basins, and the like.
Ming Na panicked for a moment and felt that the thief was disgusting. He actually came to the door when her grandfather was out and she had no weapons. If grandpa is here, no matter how many thieves come, they will not be his opponent.
Wait...Grandpa obviously went out through the window, how could the thief know that he was not there
Ming Na's heart moved, and she remembered the bluffing tactics she had seen when playing with the boys in Qedun. Seeing that the thief was about to move his whole body through the door, she pretended to have just woken up and said in a voice: "Grandpa, is it the wind?" Blow the door open? Can you go and have a look?" After that, he made some noise beside the bed, pretending that someone was about to get up.
As expected, the black shadow stopped, but had no intention of giving up. It just took two steps back, then placed the dagger across its chest and covered it with its other arm.
Ming Na had practiced swordsmanship for several months, how could she not see the intention of his action? Knowing that the thief was just planning to stab him while the "person" was trying to close the door, he felt angry. When he hid behind the door again, he quickly ran behind the table and pushed the door with all his strength. push in the direction.
The sudden loud noise made the man stunned for a moment. When he woke up, Mingna had pushed the table and blocked the door, which shocked him. Ming Na moved a few more stools up. Although the tables and chairs were very thin, looking at them made her feel more at ease. After piling up the quilts, basins, etc., she cast a lighting spell. Seeing that the iron iron on the door was intact but had been removed, she quickly tied it.
The man outside the door knew that he had been fooled, so he pushed the door hard, intending to teach the person who had tricked him a lesson. Unexpectedly, Mingna's actions just now had already caused a loud noise, which was very harsh in the middle of the night. It was market time, and most of the people living in the guest rooms next to her heard the sound. Some people yelled, and some people poked their heads out to see. The man saw that the situation was not good and ran away.
Ming Na had been pressing against the pile of tables and chairs when the man pushed the door. She already felt that she couldn't hold on anymore. Then the push suddenly disappeared, and there were sounds of people outside the door, but she didn't know who the person was. It's not that it's gone, so it's just that it doesn't move. When the surrounding area gradually returned to calm, she breathed a sigh of relief.
A black shadow flashed by the window, startling her, and she couldn't help but open her mouth to shout. When she heard the black shadow make a sound, she realized that her grandfather was back. She immediately felt relieved, but her legs felt a little weak.
As soon as Xiao Tianjian came in, he felt something was wrong in the room. He hurriedly lit the oil lamp and saw the pile of tables, chairs and sundries beside the door. His eyes went straight: "What is this for? What happened?!" Ming Na put the After telling him what had happened, he asked a little embarrassedly: "Grandpa, I drove the thief away. Isn't that smart?"
Xiao Tianjian smiled and touched her head: "Of course, you are indeed my granddaughter!" After a pause, he softened his smile slightly: "But if you encounter such dangerous things in the future, it's better not to resist forcefully, you As a child, just hide under the bed. Anyway, the valuable things are all on me and he can’t steal them.”
Ming Na was very happy at first, but then she felt a little disappointed, and she pursed her lips in dissatisfaction. Xiao Tianjian was actually a little scared. If the thief was a little smarter or more reckless, his granddaughter's life would be in danger. Those who were frightened by such a sentence might just be an ordinary thief.
But what is going on with this place? Back then, he followed Lila's family to Heisha Town for a fair, and stayed in this inn. The money he got from selling things was left open in the room without closing the door, and no one would come to steal it. Now So depraved that a thief stole something with a knife in the middle of the night? !
Ming Na saw that grandpa seemed to be thinking about something, and was about to ask, but suddenly remembered what she had been concerned about tonight, and hurriedly asked: "Has grandpa seen the bad guy? Have you caught him?" She saw Xiao Tianjian He entered the room alone and thought he had lost his hand.
"I didn't arrest him." Xiao Tianjian woke up from his reverie, "The man you saw in the store and his accomplices were just gangsters, no big deal. The person who ordered them looked well-dressed, but in fact He was just the butler of a nobleman in Nomonka. From his tone, he seemed to be very satisfied with the work of those two people, and he agreed to take one of them to meet the big boss behind the scenes. I thought he was not the mastermind, so I did nothing."
"Not the mastermind?" Mingna tilted her head, not quite understanding what he meant, "Then what are we going to do? Let him go like this?"
"How is that possible?" Xiao Tianjian smiled slightly, "He is not the mastermind, but he is an important clue. If we want to know who the real mastermind is, we have to rely on him. Mingna, grandpa will teach you a new idiom today, which is called ' Just follow the clues'."
====================This is the dividing line that I really want to appear====================
When Ming Na rode the newly bought horse with her grandfather the next day, far behind the aristocratic butler and the man she had met in the tavern, her lips were pouted so high that she could hang a bottle of oil.
Grandpa lost his word again. He clearly promised to take her home, but now he had to follow those two people to an unknown place. Now she didn't know how long it would be before she could go home. Grandpa Marshall must be anxious to death, and his parents... Although they had left him alone before, they must be worried about him after being separated for so long, right
Xiao Tianjian followed the horses of the two men and recognized that they were walking on the only road leading to Nomenka, the capital of Noga, and he also knew the destination of the two men. Fortunately, there were others walking on the road, so the target was not suspicious. However, Xiao Tianjian was cautious and did not follow too closely. He only stayed far away and paid attention at all times.
He occasionally lowered his head and saw his granddaughter's dissatisfied expression. He felt a little sorry and said hurriedly: "Good Mingna, good Mingna, be obedient. Grandpa promises you that as long as the mastermind is found, he will send you home as soon as possible. Anyway, we are already half a year late." , it won’t make any difference to go back a few days later, but if you let this clue go, you won’t know where to start if you want to investigate again.”
After listening to his words, Ming Na felt better, but she was still unhappy. But when she thought about the people they were following now, they were the same group of people who hurt Xiao La and killed the elf last time (she thought). If they never knew who the other party was, Xiao La, Uncle Qiao, Brother Leif, The uncles and aunts in Phantom Town, as well as Xiaola's beautiful mother, might be harmed, so she felt that her grandfather's words made sense, and her dissatisfaction with him was reduced a lot.
Xiao Tianjian noticed the change in his granddaughter's mood, secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and then focused on the person he was following.
After crossing several mountains, they have gradually taken over Nomonka in the southwest. The weather is getting warmer and warmer, and there are more flowers and trees on the roadside. The grassland on the hillside is full of large expanses of green.
Unlike her grandfather who had to keep an eye on people, Ming Na stayed on the horse for several days in a row. She was very bored and started to pay attention to the scenery and pedestrians on the roadside.
As you go south, the clothes people wear are getting better and better, and gradually the patches are getting fewer and fewer. Although the poor still wear coarse linen clothes, there are many more people who are neatly and decently dressed, and people's clothes are also similar to those in the snow-capped mountains. There is a big difference.
The hem of the man's robe is shortened to the knees, and the trousers are tucked into the boots, which is neat. The headscarves are gone, replaced by flat-topped round hard felt hats. Some people's hats have various patterns on them. The short shawls have become longer, draped thickly on the shoulders, and one end is wrapped around the chest like a scarf. A circle, hanging down the back, looks very chic, and the fabric of the shawl is of good quality, and brocade embroidery threads are common.
As for women, the dresses they wear are made of light and soft materials and are embroidered with patterns. Unlike the thick headscarves worn by women in the North, in addition to thin gauze scarves, they also have a felt hat on their head, which is either embroidered or embroidered. Decorated with decorations, very beautiful. Girls from ordinary families just wear some stone beads, wooden beads or bone beads on their heads, while girls from noble or wealthy families use pearls and precious stones. Nuojia women often go out, so Mingna saw a lot along the way. When she arrived near Nomonka, she even saw a woman who was obviously from a wealthy family. She was wearing a shawl woven with gold and silver threads, which seemed quite heavy. The felt hat on her head was studded with gems, and there were strings of pearl tassels hanging down. There were twenty or thirty heavy gold pendants tied to the end of the scarf, which swayed and undulated with the horse's back beneath the woman. Ming Na stared dumbfoundedly at the woman slowly passing by, feeling a little sorry for the horse.
Xiao Tianjian kept staring at the person he was following, not paying attention to anyone else. There was a large lake in front of Innomonka, and everyone had to queue up to take a boat across the lake. He was too far behind, and he was worried that he would not be able to get on the same boat as his target, so he hit the top when no one was paying attention. Ming Na blushed a little when she found out, but she didn't say anything, but the people next to her were very dissatisfied. Xiao Tianjian didn't take it to heart at all. Even in his original world, he had never heard of police following criminals and observing public order. What he was doing now was not much different.
Finally, we got on the same boat as our target. When we got to the other side, we saw the city gate not far away. There were many soldiers guarding the gate, questioning people entering the city one by one. The target seemed to be the steward of a noble family, so he quickly led people in. Xiao Tianjian followed closely, saying only that even if the soldiers had checked their identity documents, he had a lot of such documents on him, so he didn't take it to heart. , who knew he was stopped.
He has black hair and black eyes, which is rare in the mainland. He is obviously a foreigner. The soldier insisted on asking about his origin and purpose, as if he was going to do something bad, no matter what he said. He just came to visit a friend, and even told him the address of Xiao's Trading Company's branch in Nomonka, but he couldn't get away. Seeing that the target's back was about to disappear, he couldn't help but become anxious, and simply threw out a bag of gold coins. The soldier immediately His face changed, and he was about to curse, but a young officer stopped him, took the bag of gold coins, and sent Xiao Tianjian and his grandson into the city gate with a flattering smile, then turned around and cursed the soldier.
Finally entering the city, Xiao Tianjian hurriedly caught up with the target, but the streets were full of people, where could he find them? Ming Na looked around to help find her. Perhaps because she was still riding a horse, she could see further away. She caught sight of the back of one of the targets. She hurriedly notified her grandfather to follow him. It was the noble housekeeper. As for the other One person, but missing.
Xiao Tianjian didn't care so much. He just pulled the horse and followed him. He turned left and right and came to the entrance of a luxuriously decorated hotel. He saw the man entering and asked for the VIP room No. 3.
He was about to hug his granddaughter and follow him. When the clerk who guarded the door saw that the two of them were busy and did not seem to be rich, he put on a snobbish face. Xiao Tianjian smashed his smile with a gold coin and said very enthusiastically. He and Ming Na were sent to the VIP room No. 4, which was right next to the private room of the aristocratic housekeeper. They were also graciously provided with facial water and meals, and had their horses fed with the most expensive feed.
Ming Na was anxious to know what that person was doing in the next room. She thought the clerk was too verbose and was getting in the way, so she took a few bites of food and sent him away. Then, without waiting for her grandfather to say hello, she took the initiative to get close to the wall and eavesdrop. However, this hotel hosted mostly wealthy people, and the building materials were not stingy. The walls were very solid. She didn't hear anything. She looked at her grandfather distressedly, but he just smiled slightly, raised his right index finger and hissed, Ming Na knew that he must be able to hear her, and she felt happy.
Xiao Tianjian only heard that there was already a person in the next room, and the target was talking to him: "...How are you doing over there? I have completed the task well. Five or six teams of mercenaries have already received the news, and most of them have left for The Elf Forest has gone, and the reaction of the elves is just as His Highness expected."
"Is this necessary?" This was another person's voice. "As long as the elves seal the forest, it will be fine. If we continue to send people, it will be bad if we provoke the elves to rebound."
"What are you afraid of? They always don't care about external affairs. If only one or two teams of mercenaries go, the elves may think that everything is fine and will reopen the forest. Then all our efforts will be in vain. Anyway, only the mercenaries will die. Bing, what's the big deal? I heard things aren't going well on your end?"
"Stop talking, those people from the Light God Sect are all stone-headed. No matter what I say, they just refuse to open the passage. I have prepared several plans. No matter what, I must get them to nod."
The target sighed: "I have to continue running around, but things are going smoothly for the third child. Mengli's matter will be a foregone conclusion in three days. I really envy him."
Xiao Tianjian's heart moved. Could it be that these people are not just after the Elf Forest? Who does that "Your Highness" refer to? Is it the Noga royal family? Is it that Mario? Many people know that he has the ambition to unify the continent, but the Elf Forest is separated from Noga by snowy mountains, grand canyons and misty wastelands. Is he also interested? If this is the case, it would be bad. The two countries are adjacent and the number of elves is small. If Noga really wants to plot against them, the elves may not be their opponents with their arrogance and innocence.
Ming Na watched the expression on her grandfather's face change and was anxious to know what the two people were talking about. Just as she was about to ask, there was a knock on the door. The grandfather and grandson immediately returned to their seats and asked people to come in, but It was the clerk who rushed to ask them if they enjoyed their meal. Xiao Tianjian sneered in his heart and was about to stab him, but he heard the person in the next room preparing to leave, so he interrupted the clerk's flattery and wanted to pay.
Ming Na was a little surprised when she looked at the food that had only been moved a little bit on the table, but she also knew that her grandfather's decision must be justified. As a result, when they finally got rid of the verbose and flattering clerk with a few gold coins and left the private room, Mingna saw that the next room was empty, and she knew her grandfather's intention.
The clerk's enthusiasm disrupted Xiao Tianjian's tracking. When he came to the door of the hotel, he could no longer see the target's figure, but now he could not find it. Grandfather and grandson both sighed, and Ming Na complained: "It's the same clerk who is so verbose, as if he has never seen money. Grandpa, what should we do now?" If we get lost at this time, If someone is dead, wouldn't it be meaningless for her to give up her plan to go home as soon as possible
Xiao Tianjian thought for a while and said, "Let's go to Xiao's Trading Company. They are familiar with this place and may be able to find out about that person."
Ming Na nodded, then followed her grandfather to get back on the horse, walked a few streets, and came to the edge of a lively and bustling market. The largest shop there was the branch of the Xiao Family Trading Company in the city. Xiao Tianjian took out a token and waved it in front of the clerk, and was immediately greeted respectfully into the back room, and the horse was led to the stable.
The chief and deputy stewards of the branch had all met Xiao Tianjian and received him happily. However, they were a little confused about Ming Na: "This young lady is..."
"This is my little granddaughter, the daughter of my second son." After a pause, Xiao Tianjian added, "You may have heard about it, right? I have an extra son." In fact, there are two, but Ludlow , the elves do not want him to disclose the child's identity.
Ming Na raised a smile and greeted the two stewards: "Hello, grandpas, I am Ming Na." The two stewards responded with a smile, but their expressions were a little stiff. Xiao Tianjian noticed it and felt doubtful in his heart. When his little granddaughter was taken down to freshen up by two local servants, he asked about it.
The two stewards were a little hesitant. Seeing that Xiao Tianjian's face was not good-looking, and knowing that he never liked his subordinates hiding things from him, they said: "Actually, it has nothing to do with the young lady, it's the Second Young Master Anlong..."
"What happened to An Long?" Xiao Tianjian asked, "Isn't he in Yidong?"
"It is indeed in Ito, with the Castle Guards Knights. Lord Earl, do you know that in the past six months, the second young master and the knights stopped our team's convoy more than ten times and searched the carriage from the mezzanine Did you buy a lot of things?"
Xiao Tianjian was a little stunned. His son knew that the carriage of the trading company had a mezzanine. It probably happened when the Mayton branch sent him to Yidong, but why did his son do this
The manager said: "Actually, whose caravan carriage does not have a mezzanine? We are the only ones who are unlucky. Except for the people in the three branches of Mayton, Gutenberg and Matt, they are fine. The other branches have been searched, and the fines do not count. , several stewards were imprisoned, and although they were released in a few days, we have been in this business for decades and have never suffered such a loss, and many people are very dissatisfied with the second young master."
"That's right." The deputy steward also said, "And I heard that the second young master is very close to the third son of the Heda family. Sir Earl, you should know the hatred between the Heda family and us. What is the second young master thinking? "
Xiao Tianjian frowned, really confused, what was his son's intention
(A bit late, but the word count is 5K...)