Mercenaries and Adventurers

A set of horse's bridles and saddles was more expensive than Keir had imagined, and even the grocery store only had a dusty old set. Kiel used the excuse that the things were old and messed around with the apprentice who was selling them. He attracted a craftsman who came over and asked the craftsman to judge.

The pot-bellied craftsman didn't want to check the old goods covered with sawdust and dust at all, so he made his own decision and sold it to Kiel at half price.

Although it was not cheap at half price, it actually cost him three silver coins.

Kiel left his horse with his friends who were guarding the city gate. He held the dusty old saddle and bridle and washed it by the well in the corner of the city gate square.

In the middle of winter, he really didn't want to touch the water, especially the Kendall running water in the well. It was ice cold, making people feel colder than touching ice cubes with his hands.

After cleaning, Keel wiped the wet reins and saddles clean with a borrowed dry cloth and put them on his obedient horses.

The size is a little off, but nothing significant.

Amid the teasing of the city gate guards, Kil carefully stepped on the stirrups and climbed up. He leaned nervously on the horse's back and gently touched its belly.

The horses, which had been obediently standing in place and pacing restlessly, seemed to have received the order, and walked out of Kendall City with brisk steps.

Kil waved to his friends on horseback, held the reins tightly, and let the horses move forward along the road out of the city and down the mountain.

-

Zhao Ji found that horse riding is very interesting, because horses are very smart animals, so they will move forward along the road with experience. There is no need for Zhao Ji to control it at all.

But occasionally when the snow on the roadside disappeared and the dead grass underneath was exposed, his horse would stop involuntarily, lower its head and eat the dead grass.

At this time, Zhao Ji needs to take action and tell his horse that it must continue to move forward.

If the horse has a temper, it may not obey its owner at this time, but will do what it wants to do. But fortunately, the horse Zhao Ji is riding now has a good temper. It will neither neigh nor show anger. As long as Zhao Ji touches its belly with the heel of his boot, it will obey obediently. Zhao Ji meant to abandon the dead grass on the ground and move forward briskly along the road.

Zhao Ji set off in the afternoon. It took a little time to buy the reins, saddles and shackles and clean them, but he still had a lot of time throughout the afternoon. His riding speed was much faster than walking. It took more than a day to walk from Kendall City to Bingxun Pass. Zhao Ji rode over and did not start running yet. He just sat on the horse and let it take Zhao Ji. Ji Qianjin arrived at the north gate of Bingxun Pass shortly after nightfall.

-

I don’t know if it’s because the militiamen have destroyed too many bandit gangs recently, so the guards at Bingxun Pass are very relieved. They didn’t even close the gate at night. Caravans traveling from north to south can still enter and leave the rich Bingxun Pass at night.

At the gate of the checkpoint, Zhao Ji took out the sixth-class security badge of the Church of the God of Agriculture that he had just taken out from the field, as well as the wooden ownership tag of the horse. After proving the identity of himself and the horse, the guard saw that Zhao Ji did not bring it with him. Weapons, large packages or other things, he waved his hand and let Zhao Ji go into the Bingxun Pass.

As soon as he entered, Zhao Ji found that Bingxunguan was very lively at night. Even the cold winter could not extinguish the enthusiastic celebrations of the residents and businessmen here.

Keir looked at it for a while and found that what everyone was celebrating turned out to be the news that the militiamen had won a victory over the bandits. Not only was the news that the bandit gangs in Luokpocket Cave were wiped out, but also the winter bandit gangs deeper in the mountains and forests that originally evaded the militia, were also wiped out by the militia one by one.

Along with the news reaching Bingxunguan, there were also a large number of bandit heads as evidence. The ferocious heads with fleshy faces were displayed on the main street of Bingxunguan for several days, and residents and merchants saw them.

So they celebrated grandly.

It was too cold on the street, so everyone lit a fire to keep warm. Residents and merchants were all dressed in fancy clothes. They moved the big wine barrels in the tavern to the street, and the merchants bought them for everyone who came and went to drink as much as they could.

People held wine glasses, held hands, danced with their legs raised, and loudly sang rude lyrics that were off-key, showing off their feelings that had been oppressed by the gangster's momentum.

Businessmen all know that with the large number of bandits near Bingshuguan being exterminated, the security of the business roads here will be much better in at least two or three years, and they can make a lot of money in the safe period.

When the news came, the most agile merchants in the level rushed to various taverns to recruit idle people and urgently expand the size of their caravan. What if we don't run faster and don't have enough people?

Following their lead, the entire Bingshuguan seemed to have come back to life from the hibernation of the cold winter.

People put on their fur hats, fur coats, and wooden-soled animal skin shoes, and then walked out of their homes. As soon as they walked into the tavern, they could immediately find a caravan that needed manpower. A caravan manager was more expensive than a caravan manager. The reason for driving it high is because I'm afraid that my caravan won't have enough manpower to transport more goods.

The officials of Bingxunguan also became active. They boldly opened the city gates at night to people, and divided the tax officials into several groups to collect commercial taxes at the north and south city gates all day long.

The soldiers guarding the city gate were also very busy. They were either busy checking the large number of caravan trucks coming in and out, or they were busy collecting bribe coins from various caravan stewards.

When Kil just entered the level, he glanced around and saw the bulging inner pockets on the chests of several soldiers. He guessed that they must be filled with coins of all sizes.

The tax officials sitting inside the checkpoint gate also pretended not to notice, and they even boldly placed two small wooden barrels on the table where they were sitting. One contained normal tax money, and the other directly contained coins bribed to him by merchants.

Each inspected caravan directly put equal coins into two wooden barrels to the tax officer, and then the tax officer immediately poured hot wax liquid on the tax payment certificate he had just prepared, and then covered it with The official chapter of Bingxunguan.

What Keir saw was an eye-opener, and he had to admire these people's 'flexible' methods.

Although it seemed that the nights in Bingxunguan were very lively recently, Kil knew that the shops that could collect the valuables he had on him would not be able to receive him at night.

So Keel went to the hotel room where he had rented before, handed the horses to the clerk, and paid extra money to let the clerk take care of his horses.

As a result, the clerk said helplessly that their hotel did not have enough manpower. Other previous clerks had quit their jobs and ran to the streets to join various caravans to make a lot of money.

Now they no longer even work as cooks in their hotels, and have gone to work as traveling cooks for large caravans. If this clerk hadn't owned the hotel himself, he would have gone into business.

There was no choice but to take care of his horses. Fortunately, the stable in the backyard of the hotel has everything, and the clerk doesn't charge Kiel a fee to use it, so he can just fiddle with it by himself.

Gere had to personally remove the saddle and other parts from his horse, then clean and straighten the hair on its body with a brush, and then catch a few lice he found and crush them to death. Keel then tried to fetch water from the well, but the bottom of the well was frozen with a layer of ice.

Keir had to first load a bucket with a large rock, use the heavy bucket to break the icy surface, then lift the bucket up to remove the stone, and then fetch water again.

There were piles of hay in the stable, and Keel took some out and took the time to feed it to his horses.

After feeding it and drinking it well, Kiel closed the hotel stables and went out to find food. Because the hotel's cook has also left, and there is no one to cook.

He put the backpack containing valuables in the house, while Keir went out to eat in a pub.

It was funny, he found a nearby tavern and went in, but was regarded as a young man looking for a job, and immediately several caravan recruitment stewards gathered around him. They all talked about the size and treatment of their respective caravans, but Kil was unmoved.

They struggled for a while, and Kil had to unfold the wolf fur cloak he was wearing and show the caravan stewards the exquisite winter clothes he was wearing to show that he was not short of money. Only then did they apologize and leave.

After he found a place to sit down, he ordered a large portion of grilled lamb chops, a large bowl of soup and a fruit pie.

The tavern chef's cooking skills were not very good, and the lamb chops were a bit old, but Kil's teeth were fine. He grabbed the lamb chops with both hands and bit hard, quickly finishing the large piece of meat.

The fillings in the fruit pie are not made with fresh fruits. Where can you find fresh fruits in this winter? They are all in greenhouses. No, they are all fruits bought by the chef himself during the autumn fruit harvest and cooked with the sweetest fruits. The fruit sauce comes out. Store in an airtight jar and keep using it all year long.

Because it is very sweet and well sealed, it is not easy to break.

Inside the thick pie crust is a generous stream of very sweet fruit filling. Kil didn't eat any fruit, he just thought it was sweet. Of course, such a sweet thing is not cheap. Since it is not a seasonal food, it is more expensive than lamb chops.

But Keir didn't care. Only places like Bingshuguan where there were many merchants had better food. In other places, if you want to eat, there is no place to go.

In remote villages, there may be a lot of food, but there is basically no variety of food. Kendall City naturally has high-end dining places, but the food prices there are beyond what Kier can afford. Only here in Bingxunguan, there is a wide variety of food at a price he can afford.

While eating, Keir pricked up his ears to listen to the news around him. He was relieved when he heard that many powerful businessmen were still in Bingxunguan.

He also heard from people drinking that not long ago, a noble militia captain used the crown on his head to use magic to kill the brutal bandits who tried to burn the militia supplies.

Some people seemed to have seen it on the spot and described the scene in an exaggerated way. As a result, someone asked where the other person was at that time, but the person hesitated and couldn't tell, causing everyone around him to burst into laughter.

But Kil knew that Longsos, the eldest son of Baron Kendall, did wear a jeweled crown on his head, and that the other party was indeed arranged by Knight Crow to be responsible for the supply of supplies to the militia.

So, is this the same person you are talking about?

Kil muttered something like: "Crown. Magic." and finished the meal in silence.

-

The next morning, Keel first went to clean the stables where his horses lived, and then fed them. Then I put on my backpack and went out.

He first went to several of the largest chambers of commerce and asked whether the valuables shops would purchase them. As a result, the other party stated that it would not purchase items from people whose identities and origins were unknown.

This left Kiel frustrated.

But it didn’t matter. Kiel quickly found the Simmons Chamber of Commerce, which had taken root in the local area.

Arriving at the Simmons Chamber of Commerce by the river again, Keel found that the place was very lively. The side door of the main door was open, and trucks were coming and going and parked at the door. Then the chamber of commerce guys of all ages either followed the instructions to carry goods to the carriages, or It means unloading the goods from the carriage and transporting them to the warehouse inside the Chamber of Commerce.

Gere impressed some of the stewards at the Simmons Chamber of Commerce and was quickly recognized. After being invited into the chamber of commerce, Mr. Simmons, who had been rescued by Keel, entertained Keel.

-

"You said you have some valuable trophies from bandits that you want to sell?" Little Mr. Simmons and Kiel asked after finding an empty room to sit down.

"Yes, they are all serious trophies obtained after defeating the bandits." Kil put down the backpack he was carrying and patted his sturdy backpack.

Mr. Simmons was a little confused: "I'm sorry, haven't the militia team returned to Bingxun Pass yet? Since you joined Knight Crow's militia team to deal with the bandit gang, Kil, why did you come out alone again?"

He understood the other party's doubts. Kil knew that the other party was afraid that he had escaped after stealing valuable trophies from the militia. In this regard, Kil explained his situation.

After hearing that Kil had joined the hunter team under Knight Lanessa and did not belong to the militia team belonging to Knight Crow, Mr. Simmons felt relieved and expressed that he wanted to know what Kil had on hand first. .

Kil opened his backpack and first took out a small box containing a small piece of ruby. Little Mr. Simmons took the ruby ​​in his hand and looked at it carefully through the sunlight coming in through the small window of the house.

"Well, the color is very bright and the size is suitable. Moreover, this gem has been processed by gem craftsmen, so it has many uses." Mr. Simmons said thoughtfully: "But."

"But what?" Kil asked. He himself thought that this ruby ​​was quite good. It could be used to decorate weapons and armor, and it would definitely add a lot of decorative value to them.

But he himself doesn't care much about these things, because he obtained many elven gems from ancient elven ruins that can emit gleaming light when exposed to sunlight.

Regardless of size or shape, those gems look much better than this thing. It's just that Kil couldn't explain the origins of those treasures, so he buried them near the ruins and didn't care about them anymore. That's not something he can use now.

Little Mr. Simmons brought the ruby ​​​​to Keel and pointed at the inside of the stone with his finger: "But the inside is not transparent enough, which limits its many possible uses. At least this is what I understand. Many big businessmen only accept Very transparent gems, I heard that those gems can be turned into magic gems containing magical power in the hands of a magician!"

Kil blinked. In fact, he had already made some guesses about this information. Now he got confirmation from Mr. Simmons, the vice president of a chamber of commerce. He was a little regretful and a little excited.

It's a pity that the ruby ​​in his hand cannot be sold to the maximum extent. What's exciting is that the value of his elven gems may be far more than his previous guess.

If gems could be processed into magic gems, the value of those gems would be far beyond ordinary people's imagination.

There was some pretended regret on Keel's face. Seeing Keel's expression, little Mr. Simmons shrugged and put the gems into a small box.

Then, Keir took out a hefty bone box. Putting this thing on the table, just looking at it can make people feel uncomfortable.

However, the little Mr. Simmons opposite him had a strange expression. After carefully opening the bone box and seeing the contents inside, his expression became even stranger.

"Where did you get this thing?" He spoke in a small voice and looked around the room.

He and Keir were obviously the only two people in the room.

Kil briefly explained that he followed the monster to the forest, and then the monster ate the bandit. He himself searched the things from the bandit's house after the monster left.

Little Mr. Simmons looked a little strange: "I didn't expect you to be so bold. But, that monster?"

Kil laughed: "Then I met the team of Lanissa Knight. They heard about my reputation and asked me to join them directly. We then destroyed the monster. But it was a hard battle."

Heaving a sigh of relief, little Mr. Simmons stopped looking at this exquisite and weird set of unique jewelry. He closed the bone box and said to Keir: "This thing was probably stolen by bandits. Let me tell you, two years Not long ago, a shepherd from the Church of the Dead was robbed and killed on a business road by bandits. This incident was very violent at the time, and soldiers from Bingshunguan and Kendall's militia gathered together, but it was later intercepted. The gang of robbers who killed the church pastor were all killed, but the set of valuables the pastor was carrying at the time was not found."

He gently patted the bone box on the table.

"This should be the thing that disappeared at the beginning. It probably changed hands among the robbers. But now, two years later, you found it."

Keir raised his eyebrows. He was not interested in these things that happened before he came. He only cared about one thing now: "So, is this thing valuable?"

"Money? Haha, all the businessmen doing business nearby know what happened in the past two years. Who dares to accept it? This is an important item of the Church of the God of the Dead. Now that you have found it, it is better to return it to the church. As for the money , they will reward you." Mr. Simmons said to Keir in a serious voice.

Kil curled his lips. He had been expecting Baron Kendall to give him some kind of reward before, but in the end, he had to spend his own money to buy the final reward. The so-called reward was to give him an opportunity to buy rare magic materials.

Of course, Keir knew who was more important than money and the authority to purchase magic materials, but compared to those things, he still preferred yellow-orange, shiny gold coins.

After all, the weapons in his hands are enough for him now, and working hard to improve his martial arts and physical fitness is the most important thing to him recently.