Tides: Years of Dawn

Crewe would never know that before he and Geraint actually met again, they were extremely close to each other.

There is only one pier from Haimin to Lu Wu's land, and Geraint has been stuck in the casino since he came to this town.He is forced to make money for the people in the casino, but of course, he will not rest on his laurels.

Now he was in the back door of the casino kitchen, put on his hood, and disappeared into an alley.

In his left pocket were several bottles of diluted sea snake venom, in which he added his own fermented wine.This kind of thing sells well not only in casinos, but also in brothels.

He turned into a dark corner and came to a small, broken door.He knocked four times rhythmically, and the door opened a crack.However, there are still chains on it, which proves that the people inside only want goods and don't want to meet people.

Geraint put the pocket containing the medicine bottle on his outstretched palm for a while, then immediately moved it away, and whispered - "Money."

The door slammed shut, only to hear rustling noises from inside, and after a while the wooden door opened again, this time holding a bag of gold coins in the outstretched hand.

Geraint quickly took the gold coin and put it in the potion pocket.

The moment he withdrew his hand, the door closed again.There was also a bit of dust on the porch, causing Geraint to choke.

Geraint opened his pocket, and the smell of gold coins came over his face.He suppressed the excitement in his heart, hid the gold coins in his clothes, adjusted his hood again, and went into the next alley again.

In his other pocket was a tube of snake venom with a higher concentration, but instead of alcohol, it was mixed with some other medicine.Its price is higher, and it is not sold to people who are nostalgic for wine and meat.

It was only when he came to Lu Wu's land that he realized that it wasn't just those high-ranking officials who could extract gold coins. In fact, everyone had a great potential to tap.

Geraint was thinking in his mind as he walked through the alley.After another two or three weeks of saving, he will probably have the money to redeem himself.But he doesn't want to give all the hard-earned gold coins to the rich casino owner. He has to use the wealth to go to another town. He needs freedom and a new start.

He planned it all, and he spent two years working hard to make the casino people relax their vigilance.It also took a lot of time and energy to establish a good relationship with those cooks, which gave them many benefits, and now it has finally paid off, in exchange for the occasional opportunity to sneak out.

After he has survived another two or three weeks and everything is ready, he will not go back once he comes out.

He would run like hell, all night long.He was going to run out of the reach of the casino's eyeliner and forget about the past.

At this moment, he came to the door of the hotel. He observed the corner for a while, and after confirming that there was no suspicious person, he entered the hotel in a flash.

He knew that Yanhu's family was planning to hold a slave trade meeting recently, and slave traders from all over the country would come to watch it.At this time, his potion was the best seller, it could keep the slaves in the best condition, and it could also allow the traders to relax in their spare time.

The innkeeper brought Geraint into the office deep in the corridor, opened the drawer and took out the gold coins and banknotes.While rummaging through it, a few pieces of gold with patterns worn out also fell on the table.

The moment Geraint saw it, a strange feeling flashed in his heart.

"What is this?" Geraint picked up one of them and asked the innkeeper.

The boss glanced away, and then continued to rummage through the financial box at the bottom, "Two strange people from somewhere said they had no money, and they used this instead—you know, at this time, good and bad people are everywhere. , I hope I confiscate a few talking brutes."

"Weird?" Geraint picked up the gold coin and looked at the light.

Some corners of the gold coins have not been completely worn off, and he seems to have touched the patterns of flowers and plants, as if—Geraint was startled, raised his voice, called the boss up and asked again—"What are you talking about, what kind of weirdo? what kind?"

At this time, the boss finally dragged a box out, and the thick smoke made him cough.

The miser stuffed the box behind the cabinet, and there was a pile of sundries on it, for fear that it would be conspicuous in the slightest, and others would take a few more glances at it.

He glanced at Geraint strangely, opened the box, and unwrapped the cloth bags layer by layer with his withered hands, and said casually—"A pair of lovers, wearing the kind of robes that drag the floor. One of them almost shaved his head The light woman, and... there is a pretty young man."

As soon as the words came out, Geraint grabbed the boss's wrist violently.

The boss was startled, thinking that Geraint was going to steal his things, so he hurriedly protected the box with his whole body and stared at him in horror.

At this moment, Geraint's hood fell off, and he couldn't recover for a while holding the gold coin.

It took a while for him to realize his gaffe, and quickly let go of the boss, but asked more eagerly—"Where? Are they... living in your hotel now?"

"You—" The boss was still in shock, but he seemed to realize that Geraint would not rob, so he carefully put the box away. After counting out the appropriate amount of gold coins, he carefully covered the box and pushed it back to the office. After the pile of things, "Do you know them?"

"I don't know..." Geraint watched the boss push the gold coin in front of him, and then spread his hand to signal him to take out the medicine.Geraint stared blankly at the open palm, and after a while, he quickly took out the treasure in his pocket and put it in the opponent's hand.

"They're on the second floor, the third from the bottom—you tell me, they're not beasts, right?" The boss was also a little worried, especially after seeing Geraint's expression, he went up and chased them away after a while. thought.

In the past few years, there have been rumors that some beasts have evolved the ability to speak, and they look no different from ordinary people. Only when their chests are peeled off can they know whether they are tattoos or brands.

Taking in animals is a serious crime, but how could he, a small businessman, ask customers to show their chests, especially when the customers are women, he can only pray that he will not encounter such troublesome things.

Geraint has been in contact with him for a long time, and the people who stay in the casino are relatively well-informed.He could only place his hopes on Geraint, otherwise he would have to drive them away first.

"No, not beasts," Geraint shook his head, but he didn't forget to tease—"Why would beasts wear that kind of robe, they just run around shirtless."

After speaking, Geraint laughed first, and he didn't put the matter away until the boss laughed too.

Geraint put away the gold coins and put the hood back on.By the way, I exchanged two Lu Wu general coins for a piece of worn-out gold.

He said he wanted to confirm their identities—"I'll help you to see it, so you don't have to worry about it."

The boss was naturally happy and said yes again and again.

But only Geraint knew that his body was trembling when he walked out of the office.He didn't know who he was about to meet, and he wasn't even sure if he dared to meet him.

When he came to the corridor on the second floor according to the boss's instructions, he took out the broken gold again and looked at it carefully.

Haimin's gold coins have different patterns. Every time a new lord takes office, he will emboss the new gold coins with his family's totem during his tenure.

But without exception, the edges of all gold coins are ghost grass.

This tradition started a long time ago. According to the words of the ancestors, it is a warning of the poison hidden in the wealth of the sea people.

Sea people are greedy for money, they can sense where the ore is and look for the whereabouts of the treasure.He also poured blood and sacrificed his life for wealth.

Gold, silver and treasures are fatally attractive to them, but in order to satisfy their desires, they must pin their lives on their belts and be ready to fight with their backs on the road to wealth at any time.

Geraint can now confirm that this is a gold coin from the Cracked Rock Islands, and according to the boss's description, he knows that at least one of the two is from the Octopus family.

Could he be Crewe?Geraint wasn't sure.

According to the year, Crewe should graduate this year.But he is such an obedient and cowardly little guy, how could he run to the outside world.

And who would the other woman be with him?Geraint had no images of other girls in his mind, and he had never known a female who was so interested in the outside world.

He stood in the stairwell for a long time, until his palms were overflowing with sweat, and the broken gold was squeezed until it was slippery, and then he mustered up the courage to move forward.

Although there is only a one-in-a-million possibility, if the person living inside is really Crewe, what should Geraint do?He couldn't see anyone in his current state, so how could he let Crewe see him.

More than three years had passed, and he didn't know how Crewe was doing on the Cracked Rock Islands, and he didn't know how Gawain would handle his relationship with Crewe—by the way, there was also Gawain.

Could the companions be members of the sea monster family?If so, how could Geraint be ashamed in front of the sea monster family.

He still has a heart for Crewe's betrayal, but the hatred has gradually dissipated over the years.He knew that under the strength of the sea monster family, Crewe could not help himself in doing anything.Then he couldn't blame Crewe, he could only blame Gawain and Hua De.

He thought of Crewe when he was whipped for sneaking off in casinos, exhausted from overextracting snake venom, and locked up for being clumsy and poor at greeting customers.

He would look out at the sky through the small window of the brig, and he would stand up under the weight of the chains, his neck thrown back.

He didn't know if Crewe went to the rocky beach to catch sea stars again, and he didn't know if he would be alone looking out the window, but if so, then they were looking at the same sky, and Geraint was also looking at the same sky. Can get some comfort.

Crewe will never know how he got through these times, nor how many wounds he has that can no longer be repaired.Maybe Crewe’s simple little head only remembers the promise made by Jaylan at the beginning—I’ll cover you if you become famous—yes, then how could Geraint destroy the dream in Crewe’s heart when he was so down and down? .

Geraint was afraid, he was afraid to see the disappointment in Crewe's eyes, and the mockery on the faces of his compatriots.

In Lu Wu's world, no one knows him, so it doesn't matter how humble he is, but Haimin knows who he used to be—he is the young master of the Haisnake family—and his current appearance will undoubtedly impress Haimin. An eternal laughing stock.

He stood in front of the simple wooden door, unable to raise his hand no matter what.

He imagined the identity of the resident, but he couldn't find out in one go.

His arm was raised into a fist, but eventually he dropped it again.

He gritted his teeth and wanted to shout, but the fish bone was stuck in his throat, so he couldn't make any sound.

Finally he stood silently in front of the door, and then left silently.

Yes, he couldn't push the door open, and he couldn't bear the result of broken dreams.He missed Crewe very much, but he had no face to face him.

Just as he turned to leave and walked to the stairs, the door of the room opened.Crewe and Juve wanted to find something to eat, and it happened to be dinner time.

Geraint panicked, quickened his pace and ran downstairs, briefly said to the boss, "I'm sure I'm not a beast", and left the hotel as if fleeing.

He tightened his hood and quickly turned back into the alley.He pushed open the back door of the kitchen and hurried back to his bedroom.

And when he sat on that dirty bed, his heartbeat calmed down a little.He buried his head in his hands and rubbed vigorously.It wasn't until someone called out again that he suddenly came back to his senses, and hurriedly hid the gold coins in his pocket.

He didn't see anyone today - Geraint said to himself forcefully in his heart.

And he will never know, even though he only gave Crewe a back view, Crewe still feels that scene is familiar.

Crewe stared blankly at the corridor, even though Geraint had already fled.He always felt that he knew the other person, but he couldn't remember the identity of that person—after all, that person had grown taller, but had become thinner.He was wearing Lu Wu's robe, and his feet were tied with bandages that symbolized workers.

Juve tapped him on the shoulder and asked who he saw.

Startled, Crewe quickly shook his head and said with a smile—"It's nothing, maybe... maybe I'm starving."

TBC