96 The Mantis Preys on the Cicada (1/2)
In a market downtown, amidst the smell of rotting leaves and sewers, the youth trudged through the mud, looking at the messiness around him. ”Senior, are you sure it’s here?”
”Don’t worry, don’t worry. I remember it’s right around here!” Charles nodded with extreme confidence. ”Just walk forward and take a turn!”
”You said that ten minutes ago when we were still on a main road, and now we’re in this weird place!” Ye Qingxuan’s face was full of regret.
”This is Avalon!” Charles patted his shoulder strongly. ”It’s always full of surprises! Ah, these carrots look cheap. How about we buy some for stew?”
”Can we do what we need to first? How cheap can carrots be…oh, those seriously are cheap. And these pumpkins look nice too! Boss, give me one kilogram. And how much are the cabbages?” Ye Qingxuan was immediately distracted by the vegetables and started bargaining with expertise. After a lot of skillful talking, the seller added in two eggplants. In the end, he bought a bunch of stuff at half the normal price, and Ye Qingxuan was in high spirits. Satisfied, he picked up the giant pile.
”My luck’s pretty good today. Senior, you’ve been drinking so much, a stew can help you…f*ck, where’d you go?!” He finally realized that his senior had disappeared!
”Boss, did you see where the guy who came with me went?”
The fat woman behind the vegetable stand rolled her eyes lazily. ”I think a girl wearing red waved at him when you were buying and he left…”
”…” Ye Qingxuan almost spat out blood. He just wanted to scream, ”Charles, you *ss, did you come to help me or to find girls?!”
Quickly, that was not what he was worried about when he started walking again. The alleys of downtown were dirty and confusing. He looked around at the unfamiliar surroundings and finally realized that he was lost.
In the silence, he heard faint sounds from afar. Someone was walking over.
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”Lord, we’re here!” Outside the alley, a scruffy bum gave an affectionate smile. He rubbed his hands excitedly, watching the person before him. The man clad in a black robe stood at the entrance of the gate, looking into the distance.
Under the blazing sun, his face and body were hidden by the thick hat and robe. He emanated coldness like a ghost, sending fear into people’s hearts. ”Are you certain?” a scratchy voice asked from under the hat’s brim.
”You’re giving me money, I’d never lie,” the bum said quietly. ”I saw him go in with my own eyes. A white-haired Eastern kid. I can’t be wrong!” Reverence filled his eyes, ”And anyway, you’re important. Everyone in downtown knows that if we want to live, we can’t piss off Mr. Professor.”
”Good.” The man referred to as Professor nodded. His voice was like bones scraping together. ”Otherwise, you won’t have any days left to spend the money.” A pale and thin hand reached out from under the dark robe. It was pale as if it had never seen the sun, pale as death.
Seeing the hand, the bum’s eyes lit up with enthusiasm again. His gaze fell on the wad of green money orders held between two fingers, and he could not look away. Looking at the money, the bum could not help but laugh dumbly. The pile of money orders from the Church, each one worth one-thousand pounds…
Tying the papers with a string, the Professor tossed it and it rolled on the ground. ”You can scram now.” The Professor waved a hand and walked toward the alley without looking back.
”Thank you, Lord. Thank you!” The bum dived at the money like a starving dog seeing food. Picking up the money, he impatiently counted it and laughed ecstatically. ”I’m rich!” His dirty fingers gripped the money tightly. With burning eyes, he put the beautiful little darlings into his pocket.
He froze when he looked up. A pair of feet was before him. He looked up in shock and was met by a cane adorned with silver and gems. It was held by a clean and elegant hand. A large ruby ring shone from the forefinger, a family emblem engraved into the gem. As if the wearer was preparing to attend a banquet, the precious stones on the sleeve cuffs of the detailed suit shone with a subtle but luxurious light.
”Mr. Professor, what’s with the hurry? Why don’t we have a chat?” The man with the cane had an elegant voice, gentle and anchored like a warning from a friend. He wore a top hat and, and leaning on his cane, he looked like a gentleman. There was a polite smile on his handsome face, fake and arrogant like all Sicilians.
But that was not enough for the bum to cry out in shock. Behind the man was a group of thugs wielding knives and metal staffs. The burly men had appeared suddenly and soundlessly in the small alley. Their dark eyes were filled with haughty ferocity, smiling mockingly at him as if looking at a clown. There was only one group of thugs in all of Avalon who dressed so brightly, and they were all Sicilians!