V1.Chapter 1

There was the sound of crackling rain outside.

Vivian carefully placed the low stool in front of the stove, then bent down and grabbed two handfuls of brown rice from the rice bag next to her. The food in the bag is running out. My brother only stole a piece of silver jewelry from the dock last month, and this is how I got this bag of brown rice. Even though she has been careful many times in the past two weeks, the less and less food inside still makes her feel a little panic.

There is no more food.

They'll be hungry in a few days at most!

Vivian glanced at the small bed in the dilapidated house with red eyes. On the musty-smelling quilt, a young man in a coma could be seen. The elder brother still hasn't woken up to this day, and the pastor sister who was willing to help them seems to have given up hope. After all, Bishop Fair is not willing to go to great lengths to save a thief.

Vivian firmly wiped the tears from the corners of her eyes and carefully climbed down from the low stool.

She is only eight years old this year, and she looks petite because of some malnutrition. It is still difficult for her to make a fire and cook. She held a few pieces of chopped firewood in her hands, broke some branches she picked up during the day, and threw them into the stove. Because of the heavy rain outside for half a day, the firewood was soaked with a trace of moisture, and the ignition speed was very slow. A puff of choking smoke. Vivian didn't care about her sore eyes, she blew her mouth with all her might, and rubbed her eyes lightly after the firewood inside was lit.

"elder brother!……"

"You must wake up! ... Vivian misses you so much! ..."

"do not leave Me!……"

Drops of crystal tears fell, and Vivian sat by the stove and sobbed softly. After a while, she wiped her cheeks with her small hands, and two white marks appeared on her blackened face. There was originally some salt in the house, but it had been eaten last week. She wanted to learn from her brother to steal some, but was almost caught by the fat shop owner. The lady boss picked up a broom and swiped on her back. Even now, the back is still blue and purple, and if you touch it a little, you will feel a burning pain.

"Wang Wang!"

An old black-and-yellow dog came over. Even though it was a little old, it could be vaguely seen that it was originally an excellent hunting dog. Vivian stretched out her small palm, and the old dog walked silently to her side, looked up at the location of the stove, and let out a low whimper.

"Heath."

Vivian hugged the old dog in her arms, as if seeing the desire in its eyes, sobbed softly, reached out and stroked its back softly, and muttered, "The food is running out."

"I have to leave it to my brother to eat. Vivian is also very hungry. You can go outside to find something to eat after the rain stops."

"sorry!"

"Is Vivian so useless?"

"There is no way to steal anything, and there is no way to save my brother, and I always like to cry..."

The old dog with cloudy eyes seemed to understand her words, silently withdrew his gaze, stuck out his tongue and licked her palm, then lay down at her feet and closed his eyes for sleep.

There was a sound of footsteps outside the house, it seemed to stop at the door for a while, and there were faint voices.

The black-and-yellow old dog, who was originally old-fashioned, suddenly opened his eyes, and for a moment, he was like a fierce hungry wolf, with a fierce purr from his mouth, and barked loudly towards the outside.

"Damn!"

"Sooner or later kill you old dog stewing soup!"

A man's frantic voice came from outside, and then the footsteps gradually faded away.

Vivian's terrified face calmed down a little, stretched out her small palm and touched the old dog's head, and said in a low voice, "Heath."

"If he dares to come in, bite him!"

"Brother is unconscious now, only you can protect me."

The old dog arched gently in her arms. Although he looked old, he still carried a trace of fierceness.

It's a Gladstone Hound!

In the prime of life, it can even fight leopards. According to folklore around the Manau River, it is the descendant of the hybrid of the three dogs of hell.

Too bad it's very old.

The smell of rice porridge came from the stove, the old dog twitched his nose, and then lay down again.

Vivienne's stomach made a rumbling sound, but she still carefully climbed onto the low stool, filled the rice porridge in a worn-out pottery bowl with a corner missing, blew it lightly, and then used a wooden spoon to pour out the rice porridge little by little. Feed it to the young man on the bed. She was really too young and had little strength, so she couldn't help her brother up, so she could only feed him so slowly.

"elder brother!"

"Hurry up and eat! You'll be fine after eating!  "

"everything will get better."

The little girl was talking, and the tears fell again. She reached out to wipe the tears, put down the bowl and climbed out of the bed to close the door.

This is the ghetto of Amber City.

A place full of thieves, robbers, and human traffickers. Here, it is difficult for her to survive as a helpless little girl. If she is not careful enough and there is a Heath guarding her, I am afraid that bad people will kidnap her in broad daylight. , just cover her mouth and nose with a wet towel soaked in the drug, and soon she will lose consciousness, and then be put in a sack and sold to those traffickers. This is how many little girls in the slums go missing, and sometimes even pretty women are kidnapped.

"Heath!"

Vivien fed little by little, waited until the man on the bed swallowed half of the bowl, then hurriedly took a few sips, washed her little hands and cheeks with clean water, and shrunk her petite body into the mouth and let out a gust of mildew. Inside the quilt. Because of the wound on her back, the little girl could not help sobbing in pain, and then she hugged the young man's arm with both hands, and said to the old dog at the door, "If anyone comes over, bark!"

"I know what they think."

"Thinking that my brother is unconscious now, they want to sell me to that woman in Sosia!"

"That can get you some money."

Growing up in a slum since she was a child, she knows far more things than children of the same age. Sosia is the biggest human trafficker in the slum. She will pick out beautiful little girls, train them into **, and send them to the big boys in Amber City. **.

It is impossible for a little girl who is only eight years old to survive in a slum.

Vivian's eyes showed a hint of determination, she leaned over and gently kissed the vegetative young man on the bed on the forehead, and said in a low voice, "Even if I want to sell it, I will sell it myself!"

"Then use that money to hire a real priest, who may be able to wake up my brother."

She knew what kind of fate it would face!

The woman in Sosia will raise her for a few years, and then teach her how to serve men. If she is beautiful enough, she will be given to some nobles in the city, otherwise she will only be sent to those filthy ****.

But for my brother.

She is willing to do anything, because she has only this one relative.

There was a sound of killing outside the house.

Vivian couldn't help indenting into the quilt, and the old dog at the door also had a ferocious look in his eyes.

It was the ghetto's Coron and Savi fighting for territory, and since his brother was seriously injured by a terrible wizard, many thieves in the ghetto have died. The original bosses all died on the street, and the remaining people have fought many times for the turf. There are no guards here at all, because this is the forgotten corner of Amber City.

They are fighting over the blocks to be active, and they are also fighting over the children in the slums.

Because no matter which gang it is, it is necessary to train children to steal things, and this is how my brother became a thief in order to support her.

Vivian's memory of her parents is very vague!

I only know that my mother once had a husband, who was said to be an excellent thief. Unfortunately, he finally accepted a mission and died in a wizard's tower.

Since then.

The wizard has become the most terrifying existence in her young mind!

That man was my brother's biological father. Although she was not born yet, I heard her mention it.

later.

The mother took her young brother through a period of displacement. Because of life, she even worked as a waitress in a tavern. In fact, it was a part-time job. Vivien knew this, far more than her peers, until her mother met a mysterious adventurer.

Soon, she became pregnant again.

The adventurer didn't marry her, but raised her as a ****, and that man was Vivian's biological father.

Said to be a strong professional.

Heath was his pet, and then he mysteriously disappeared.

Only the old dog remained by their side.

The mother lost two men in a row, and her spirit began to become a little disturbed. She even suffered from delusional disorder for a time, and finally died of illness.

She was only three years old at the time.

My brother is twelve years old.

The two young children lost their parents and soon lived on the streets. At that time, the elder brother often fought with others for some meager food.

Later, my brother joined the gang and became a qualified thief.

At that time.

Their lives gradually stabilized, and there was a place for them in the chaotic slums.

A shrill scream came.

Vivian trembled with fright, and hid herself in the arms of the young man. The old dog at the door also suddenly stood up and looked at the alley in the distance with fierce eyes.

A man died there!

It is normal for people to die in the slums, and even the priests of the Temple of Dawn will not care about the life and death of the slums.

Everyone nearby slammed the door shut.

Someone also picked up the door bolt and locked the door firmly, and Vivian also got up and struggled to erect a door bolt.

According to her common sense of living in a slum area for many years, if there is a dead person, the problem will quickly become bigger, and then the fight will definitely be worse, and it may spread to nearby people.

fear.

The fear in her heart made the little girl hug the old dog tightly and bring it to the foot of the bed.

"Heath."

She looked outside in horror, and could see some figures in the rain, they were fighting together with weapons.

Blood filled the entire alley before being washed away by the rain.

There is a faint smell of blood!

Vivian leaned over and touched the old dog's head. Because of the fear of the young body, she could not help trembling slightly, and whispered: "You will protect me, right?"

"Ow!"

The old dog barked suddenly.

The little girl was startled, but then she realized that Heath was not calling out, but at the young man on the bed.

"elder brother!?"

Vivian turned around in surprise and found that the young man on the bed had opened his eyes and his lips moved slightly.

The pressure and fear that had been there all along burst out in an instant!

The small figure plunged into his arms all of a sudden, and big crystal tears fell down his tender cheeks.

………………