Last Totem Novel - Chapter 366
Chapter 366 Fate
At four o’clock in the morning, the sky was pitch black, and the moon and stars were hidden in the clouds. Vaguely illuminated by street lamps, a fat middle-aged man was panting as he walked along the dirt and snow streets.
A few minutes later, he walked into an open space in the center of the town and arrived at the wall of a stone tower. Looking up, this stone pagoda was about 30-40 meters tall, about 20 meters in diameter, and was made of gray stone. Under the night sky, it looked cold and mysterious. This is the landmark building of Gray Tower Town-the Sky Penetrating Gray Tower.
The gray tower was surrounded by a stone wall. At this moment, the pitch-black iron fence gate was tightly closed. Uncle Nuo swept out a small clean spot on the stairs beside the gate and sat down. Then, he stared blankly in front of him, sinking into a daze.
Time quietly passed, and a wisp of fish-white gradually appeared on the horizon. Then, the sun rose in the east, and the ten thousand zhang sunlight awakened the earth. The town ahead gradually became lively. There were cooks selling toast, peddlers selling pancakes, and aunts selling milk and jam …
In the southern cemetery, a small amount of land north of the sewage river can barely grow some crops, providing the residents with a bit of wilted vegetables and fruit. Most of the food here was airlifted from the Western Continent. The World Council and the Temple worked together to drive the insecticides to this barren land. Using them to control the number of mutated organisms in the heavily radiated area, they gathered the energy crystals of the mutated organisms and refined the precious “radium 2315” for them to make high-end medicines. The famous fire of life, the main ingredient is radium 2315.
The north of the Sewage River was controlled by the exiles of the nobles and the insecticides close to Silver City. They were the servants of the World Conference and the Temple. The resources shipped from the Western Continent were basically managed and distributed by them. Although they were brutal and selfish, they brought order to this chaotic place, giving honest and willing people a chance to live. However, it was just a life without dignity, just like a serf in ancient times. It had nothing to do with happiness, and nothing to do with happiness.
To the south of the Sewage River was a moderate radiation area. In the ruins of that city, the radiation concentration in people’s bodies would gradually increase, and only insecticides could survive there for a long time. It was a chaotic land with various gathering places. There were strongholds made up of predators, tribes made up of hunters, and large-scale insecticide gathering places controlled by one faction.
There, the fist was the law of everything. Blood and violence played out at all times. The weak could only become the possessions of the strong. However, it was also relatively free. Many insecticides would rather throw themselves into dangerous environments in order to breathe free air. There were many good leaders among them. They usually set up their own strongholds and establish their own rules. The strong protect the weak and the weak serve the strong.
Further south, there was a high radiation area that stretched for tens of thousands of kilometers. Black moss covered the area, and fungi grew in clusters. Radiated spores pervaded the air. In such a place, even powerful insecticides would not be able to stay there for long. However, there were some places in the high radiation area where the radiation was low and could be used as a gathering place for humans. For example, the Blackwater Lake stronghold was one of them.
As he thought about it, the sun gradually rose into the sky. At ten o’clock in the morning, the exiled nobles living in the grey tower woke up one after another, finished washing up, ate breakfast, and started their day’s work.
At ten-fifty, Uncle Nuo finally received the guard’s notice, “Baron Joel is out on business. Come back later.”
Uncle Nuo pinched the corner of his shirt and stammered, “I … I’m here to return the favor …”
“Didn’t you understand? I said Baron Joel wasn’t here, so I told you to come back!” The guard said impatiently.
“I…” “Go away!”
Under the shouts of the guards, Uncle Nuo left the grey tower dejectedly and sat at the foot of a stone house not far away. He stared fixedly at the door, wanting to find Brown Joel’s figure.
However, a few hours had passed. It was late in the evening and the sun was setting, but there was still no trace of the other party. Uncle Nuo did not dare to leave. He only asked the owner of the house for some water and bought a piece of dry bread. He squatted in the corner and ate while staring at the door of the grey tower.
One day and one night passed …
By ten o’clock the next morning, he still hadn’t seen the noble lord, so he had no choice but to consult the guards again. Unexpectedly, the guard opened the door and told him that Baron Joel was back, asking him to meet him in the office on the third floor.
In an instant, an inexplicable sense of crisis arose. He hadn’t closed his eyes all day and night, and it was certain that Mr. Brown hadn’t passed the door. This meant that the other party had never left the gray tower. Yesterday, he had only deliberately found an excuse and was unwilling to see him. The other party’s goal was obviously to delay the repayment date.
As expected, Brown Joel was accused of breaking the agreement when he met him.
“Sir, I came early yesterday morning, but they said you were out.” Uncle Nuo lowered his head and explained.
“I didn’t go out yesterday. I’ve always been here.” Then, Brown frowned and scolded sternly, “I can understand that you don’t have any money to pay back, but lying to a noble is a felony!”
Uncle Nuo replied obediently, “But … but the guard guarding the door said that you … said that you went out …”
“Which guard? Call him over. Let’s face him head-on.” Brown said with a dark face.
“I…” For a moment, Uncle Nuo didn’t know how to explain. Not to mention whether he could find the guard, he couldn’t even remember the other party’s appearance clearly. Moreover, even if he did, other people would just say “I didn’t say anything” and directly perfunctory.
Seeing Uncle Nuo’s nervous expression, Brown suddenly smiled. He said gently, “Actually, it’s nothing much. Letting Miss Susan come here to work and study is helpful to her life …” He opened his hands and said, ‘”You see, the environment here is so comfortable, the people coming and going are so decent, and she can eat fresh vegetables, fruits and all kinds of delicious dishes every day. You should be happy for her. She is really a lucky child …”
Brown walked to Uncle Nuo’s side, took him by the shoulder, brought him to the wine cabinet, opened a bottle of Richie VSOP, filled half a glass in a crystal cup, and handed it over to him.
“Come, try the wine that was just shipped from the west yesterday.” Brown said with a smile, like a wolf looking at its prey.
“But” Uncle Nuo carefully sipped his wine. Just as he was about to speak, he was interrupted by the other party.
“Mr. Arnold, I assure you, in the name of a noble, that I will treat Miss Susan well. Don’t worry.” Brown said seriously with a stern expression.
Uncle Nuo gritted his teeth and drank a large mouthful of wine. The thick liquid immediately flowed into his throat. He immediately regained his spirits and gathered his courage to refuse loudly, “I hope Susan can stay by my side. Thank you for your kindness!”
“Are you sure?” Brown’s eyes narrowed as he asked.
As soon as Uncle Nuo opened his mouth, his eyes darkened. With a muffled “pa” sound, his fat body flew out and heavily fell to the ground. The money bag in his hand also fell out, and all kinds of coins jingled on the ground.
“According to the contract, the penalty is 1,000 gold coins. If you can’t gather this amount by tomorrow, bring your daughter over. Otherwise …” Brown’s face revealed a fierce expression as he threatened fiercely, “Die!” With that, Brown tugged at Uncle Nuo’s collar and pulled him up. He patted his shoulder and said with a smile, “Alright, you can scram now.”
A moment later, Uncle Nuo walked out of the grey tower with a dazed gaze and a dispirited spirit. After an unknown amount of time, he returned to the bar like a walking corpse. Along the way, he didn’t know how he had come back. He did not dare to imagine what a miserable fate Susan would face.
She pushed open the door and entered. Her daughter was playing with Ethan, just like last time, begging him to tell her adventure stories. Seeing her father return, Susan smiled and pushed Ethan. She turned around to meet him, took off her father’s backpack and coat, and hung it on the rack in the bar.
“What’s the matter?” Ethan asked with a concerned gaze, as if he could see Uncle Nuo’s gloominess.
Uncle Nuo waved his hand and sat down at the round table. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to say it, but it was useless to say it. Apart from adding to the other party’s troubles, it was meaningless. Moreover, they were just friends that they had met by chance. Even if the other party was willing, it was impossible for him to ask Ethan to fight against an exiled noble, or even against the entire Gray Tower, as well as the Silver City world behind the Gray Tower. The only thing he could do now was to accept his fate and place all his hopes on the kindness of the noble lord. Perhaps it was just that he hadn’t touched a woman in too long, that was why he was so impatient. I heard that the nobles are all very well-mannered and courteous. If Susan can marry him or become his lover, it won’t necessarily be a bad thing.
Perhaps, she could also learn a lot of useful knowledge. In the future, she would become a small clerk or even a small official in Graytower Town, with a decent job, a stable income, and a stable residence. Even if it was a lover or servant, there was nothing wrong with it. At least, it was better than most of the girls here.
Living here, if one day she was unlucky enough to be snatched to the south by the refugees, she wouldn’t be able to live for a few days. Here, good looks are both an advantage and a source of pain. The worms in the south yearned for women far more than ordinary humans. If Susan fell into their hands, she would soon be eaten dry and wiped clean, leaving no bones behind.
If she lived in the gray tower, she wouldn’t have to worry about such a fate.
If you’re lucky …
In this way, Uncle Nuo gradually convinced himself to accept this fate.