Mercenaries and Adventurers

The group crossed the river covered with thick ice and took a while to reach the ferry on the other side.

The sloping pier was not very steep. The old hunters whipped their horses and drove the carriage along the rocky slope to the pier in one go.

Knight Lanisa has been waiting for a long time with the people at the ferry. Everyone moved everything on the boat to the carriage again. The three boats that were untied were returned to the people at the ferry.

In this way, Kiel and the others finally arrived at the main town area of ​​Hekou Town.

Although it is snowing heavily, there are still occasional pedestrians walking on the street because of the large population here.

"Go directly to the stronghold and spend the night there tonight. Early tomorrow morning, a few people will buy food and supplies locally, and the others and I will set off directly north to the supply point on the west side of Umi Lake." Knight Lanisa said.

So, everyone followed the carriage, and the carriage followed Knight Lanisa who led the way.

Bayou Town looks no different from other human settlements in Kendall County, but under the heavy snow cover, it looks even more gloomy and quiet. Kiel noticed that local houses were more decorated with river and fish shapes than elsewhere.

The wooden beams of the house are all carved into the simple and honest shapes of big-headed fish. On the other end of the wooden beams of the house, there is a swinging fish tail.

The houses along the street are all brick and wood structures, while the houses further down are all low wooden houses with pure wood structures.

The streets were covered with thick snow, and no one came to clean them. Therefore, Kiel and the others had to take other roads on the undulating streets from time to time in order to let the carriages carrying heavy goods pass by.

Fortunately, Knight Lanissa seems to be very familiar with Bayou Town, and she can easily find the right way.

After a while, as the sun was about to set behind the clouds, they arrived outside the stronghold house that Knight Lanisha had prepared for the hunters in Bayou Town.

-

This house does not have a yard, it is just a two-story brick and wooden house along the street. There is a large lock hanging on the solid wooden door that gives a sense of rejection.

The key was naturally carried by the knight. She went over and fiddled with it for a while and then opened the lock.

After pushing open the solid wooden door, she lit an oil lamp at the door.

"Come in, everyone. It's quite warm inside." The knight placed an oil lamp in the living room in the middle of the hall, and then found a handful of thick yellow candles in the wooden cabinet next to it.

With the lighting of candles, the three old hunters climbed out of the carriage, entered the door, and checked and illuminated various parts of the house.

"It's no different than when I left two months ago." said an old hunter.

"Originally, I was worried that some unclean people would break in during this period. But now, it seems that the security in Hekou Town is still good, and there are not many young people in the town who have unclean hands and feet."

When Knight Lanisa walked to the door, she said, "That's because I sent a letter to the Lord Knight here, asking him to send someone to take care of this place."

"Kiel, you and Tost come with me. We can't put the carriages and horses here, so we will temporarily put them in the townhouse tonight. Everyone, we will come back soon. There is a tavern diagonally opposite, let's get some food. Come back." Knight Lanisa explained.

"Understood, Lord Knight." An old hunter replied.

Keir sat on his horse: "I still have some fried fish here, just prepare a bowl of hot soup for me."

After saying that, they followed the knight's horse, turning left and right, along the messy streets of Hekou Town, and arrived at the central area of ​​the town.

It's much more lively here. Although the door is closed to keep warm, the sound of some musical instruments can still be heard faintly in several pubs and entertainment venues near the small square in the center of the town.

The gatekeeper who was guarding the town house, that is, the town management office, recognized Knight Lanisa and hurriedly ran out to open the door and welcomed the female knight, carriage and horses in.

Seemingly seeing the confusion in the eyes of Kil, who was riding beside him, Knight Lanisa explained: "My father has a good relationship with the knights here. I often came here to play when I was young."

After the old gatekeeper next to him closed the door, he also said: "Yes, yes. Miss Jenny used to like to come here, but it's a pity that there are fewer of them over the years."

The old janitor is very old. Not only his hair is gray, but his beard is also pure white. In this world where the average life span of ordinary people is no more than fifty, no matter how you look at it, he is probably sixty or seventy years old.

Although he is very old, he looks strong and strong, and his movements are not slow at all. He walks in the snow-covered yard with steady steps. When he was young, he looked like an amazing warrior.

Knight Lanisa told the gatekeeper: "I went to study abroad a few years ago. Later, as you know, things became busy after becoming a knight."

"Is Knight Elisa in town?" she asked next.

"Your Excellency went to the Knights of the North. He said he wanted to compete with the knights in the group in snow events during the Ice and Snow Festival." The old gatekeeper replied with a smile.

"Snow project?" Kil asked doubtfully.

The old gatekeeper looked at the long sword on Kil's waist and answered his question: "It's just some entertainment projects on the snow. Isn't it snowing heavily now? After the snowstorm, it's the day those Imperial people like. Look. Compared to us, who have had snow every year since childhood, many knights from the southern part of the empire like to have some snow-related entertainment after the snowfall in winter."

Kil was a little interested, but his idea was seen through by the old gatekeeper at a glance: "Forget it, you are not good at it. Those projects can only be safely participated by adults of knight level."

"It's not that exaggerated. It's just some ice and snow entertainment, isn't it?" Keir didn't believe it.

Knight Lanisa jumped off her horse and explained to Keir while taking off her horse's vest: "Don't believe it. I'll tell you and you'll understand."

Gere also began to remove the backpack and saddle reins from his horse.

"The Imperial Border Knights in the north have a small team of griffins. The knights will bring some equipment, then fly to the mountains near the border on griffins, choose a high mountain, and then drop the participating knights directly in the air."

Keir's eyes widened.

"The knights need to open their flight suits made of bat wing membranes in the air, glide to the snowy side of the mountain, and then use tools such as sleds and snowboards to slide down the snowy surface from several thousand meters high. .”

Keir even opened his mouth.

"Then they will not rest for three consecutive days, traveling through no man's land, collecting tokens from several dangerous monster gathering areas, and then return to the Knights' headquarters all the way without sleep."

After saying that, Lanisa Knight raised her eyebrows and said to Keir: "So, can you do the above one?"

Kiel was speechless and could only keep wondering: Is this kind of competition considered entertainment? It's too hardcore.

"But I heard that in recent years, the fastest result was achieved by our Knight Crow. After falling from the gryphon, it only took him two and a half days to retrieve the token from the winter snowworm nest. , and then successfully returned to the station."

The old janitor next to him also nodded.

It seems that Knight Crow is really powerful, Kil thought.

Whether he is leading troops to fight or participating in such extreme hardcore competitions, he is very powerful.

Their four horses were placed directly in the stables in the yard of the town house. The old caretaker said he would feed the horses later. As for the carriage, just put it in the corner of the yard.

It is very safe here and no one dares to steal here. Besides, they'll be leaving tomorrow morning.

Kil carried his backpack, carried his weapons and equipment, and followed Lanissa Knight and the old hunter back to the previous stronghold.

To be honest, after dark in Hekou Town, it is impossible to see the direction and road surface of the street clearly. Fortunately, Keir's long sword will emit light on its own after being reforged. It is quite useful to use this thing for lighting.

Knight Lanisa took out a talisman with the sun god printed on it. She hung it on her waist, so that the light emitted after the talisman was rubbed could be used for illumination.

"I'm sorry, Tost. The amulets you used before were all taken away by the church. This is the only one I have left and they haven't taken it away yet."

"It's okay, sir. We didn't have them in previous years. They came out to hunt wolves in winter. But Kil, your sword is really powerful. It can shine so brightly!"

The topic turned to Kil's side, and Knight Lanissa knew what was going on. After all, she also had some behind-the-scenes efforts during the reforging of Kil's sword.

Keir saw that the entire street was illuminated by his long sword. After scratching his head, he put the long sword back into its scabbard, exposing only the blade half the width of his hand.

Because the streets and roads are covered with white snow, a small amount of light can illuminate a long distance.

Before returning to the stronghold, Kil put the long sword back into its scabbard. Although things are good, they should not be publicized. He still understands this.

The stronghold is fully equipped with all kinds of utensils, although it has been uninhabited for a long time, making the place look impersonal. But whether it was the firewood or the water brought from the tavern, it was enough for the eleven of them.

Keir took out the fried fish that he had not finished at noon, heated it with the kitchen utensils in the stronghold, mixed it with bread and hot soup, and had a delicious meal.

Tired from the journey, he found a place in the hall to unfold his dog-skin sleeping bag, got in and fell asleep.

The female knight and the old hunters discussed the arrangements in the hall for a long time. It was not until the other young hunters fell asleep on the floor in the hall that they all went upstairs to rest in their own rooms.

-

Early the next morning, after wiping his face with snow, Kil had finished washing. He packed up bedding, sleeping bags and other things and waited for Knight Lanissa's arrangements.

They will be divided into two teams here. One team needs to collect food supplies for their long-term use in the wild mountains and forests, as well as a few tools to repair their own bows and arrows. Others need to go to the field supply point they have been using before and transport a large number of metal clips that are crucial in this expedition.

Then come back for the second time to pick up the people and supplies left in Hekou Town.

Knight Lanisa will follow the first group of people there. After arriving at the supply point, she will cross the Wumi River alone and arrive at Wumi Lake Village, where she will arrange to call some villagers who have been militiamen to help them guard the safety of the supply point.

Knight Lanisha assigned two old hunters to take three young hunters to collect food supplies locally, while the others followed her.

After making arrangements, she handed the house key to an old hunter and gave him enough coins.

After that, they went out separately, those who went to the market, those who watched the gate, and those who set out.

During the day, Hekou Town was more lively than yesterday evening. After all, no matter how heavy the snow was, it was necessary for people to go to the town market to buy daily necessities.

Correspondingly, some people who work in townhouses also have to go out to work, no matter how heavy it snows outside.

Knight Lanisa handed a letter she wrote last night to a staff member of the town house, and asked the other person to hand it to Knight Elisa who came back later.

Then they put the reins on their horses and put on the saddles and pedals. Knight Lanissa also had to equip her horse with a winter vest. After everyone is ready, we start setting off.

Since almost half of the people were missing, the other two young hunters got on the carriage directly, and Kil also got on the horse. Everyone stopped walking and moved forward much faster.

After coming out of the gate on the north side of the town, there are patches of non-contiguous fields.

I felt it before when I was in Hekou Town. The roads in the town were all undulating and uneven. Now when I leave the town, I can see that indeed, heading north from the intersection of the two rivers, the terrain is no longer flat.

Even so, it can still be used for carriages.

According to Lanisa Knight, who knows a lot about Hekou Town, and the old hunters who patrol and hunt all year round from Hekou Town to Wumihu Village, although the terrain is not good, with bumpy terrain, it is basically suitable for hunting. The carriage is moving forward with a heavy load.

It's just that when you encounter an uphill slope, you have to avoid the steep uphill slope and go around from a gentler place.

When Kiel walks in these wilds, he is always reminded of the true horror stories told by old hunters. After all, in the previous life, so-called ghost stories were basically made up to scare people.

In another world, it's just the opposite. The purpose of horror stories is not to scare people but to make them feel exciting. It is to warn the unwary people, so that they can be mentally prepared for all the weird events that have happened or have not happened yet.

Keir followed the carriage and always looked around after riding on the horse, which attracted the attention of his companions.

"Kiel, you are always looking back and forth, what are you looking at?" A young hunter companion asked sitting on a chair in front of the carriage.

"What else could it be? Of course it's that weird house the old men were talking about before. Didn't that thing appear near Bayou Town?"

"Hahahaha, let's not talk about whether you will be unlucky to encounter that thing. Let's just say that it happened many years ago. How can a weird house that can move by itself be still near Bayou Town? Didn't the Lord Knight say so? It will go to the dead magician's hometown on its own, most likely just passing through us."

Another pointed out a decisive mistake on his part: "Keir, you got one more thing wrong."

"What?"

"That thing originally appeared at the ferry on the west side of Hekou Town. It's the place we passed yesterday. Now you're worried about that thing on the north side of Hekou Town. Are you doing something wrong?"

Keir actually forgot some details of the story. After hearing this reminder, he remembered that the place in the story happened in the previous place.

He scratched the soft beard on his chin awkwardly, not knowing what to say.

"Okay, although there are definitely no weird houses that Kil is worried about, we are already far away from areas frequently visited by humans. Compared to the south of the county, this place is closer to the border. From here to the north, there is not a single human settlement. I guess except for We, ten of us, can't find them." Knight Lanisa paused, stretched out her armored gloves and pointed at the rolling mountains, wilderness hills, and uninhabited river beaches in the distance.

"Everyone is on alert. Two people sitting in the carriage are driving the horses in front, and two people are watching the back for us at the rear door. We must pay close attention to all disturbances. Keep your bows and arrows at hand, and be ready. Always ready to fight."

"Yes, Lord Knight." Everyone replied in unison.

Kil was not wearing armor, and it was inconvenient to stop and put it on while riding a horse, so he had to wait until he got up the next day to put it on again. He took out the spear with the wooden shaft and put it on his shoulder. Although the pure metal double-edged gun is incredibly powerful, he is not yet strong enough to use it on a horse.

He couldn't use it with one hand now, while the wooden spear could be used flexibly.

He shouldered his gun and was ready to fight at any time.

But that being said, they didn't encounter any danger. Only in the middle of the journey did they see a group of 'deer' with horns on their heads. They were huge, and one of them alone was bigger than their carriage.

Although these huge animals look dangerous, they are actually herbivores. They just go to the Wumi River to drink water.

Knight Lanisa signaled everyone to stop after seeing the animals, and then everyone tried not to make a sound, watching from a distance as those huge animals smashed open the frozen river with the horns on their heads.

Then he put his head under the hole in the river and drank the cold river water in big gulps.

There were at least twenty animals in that group, large and small, with many cubs as big as horses.

Later, after they all drank enough water and turned behind the hills in the distance, Keir asked: "Sir Knight, do you know what kind of animal that is? It's so big!"

"It's the crowned moose. Did you see the horns on their heads, regardless of male or female? That's their universal tool. They can use it to fight, push away snow, and break through ice." The knight gave Kiel Explaining.

An old hunter then followed up with a smile: "They also use that horn to court mates! The male has to use his horns to defeat other stags first, and then he has to compare the size of the crown horns on his head with the female deer. You If it’s smaller than a female deer’s antlers, that’s no good, people will ignore you at all haha.”

Knight Lanisa ignored the joking old hunter: "The large forest in the north is their territory, and there are many of them. Although they rely on their huge size and powerful crown horns to be invincible, I have seen it with my own eyes. Northland wolf pack hunts lone crown moose."

The knight guided everyone towards the crack in the ice on the river where the moose had just broken. As she led the way forward, she said: "They first caused panic in the crown moose family with their constant howling of wolves, and then they continued to attack the moose with the strongest wolves. The herd will encounter a counterattack from the crowned moose, and this behavior will continue until the older moose or young moose in the moose herd leave the family group."

"Then they will be swarmed by wolves and prey on them."

Keir asked why not try to tame the big guys.

"It's okay to raise them in small quantities, but it's not possible to breed them in large quantities. They have to be raised separately in a large place, otherwise the crown moose from different blood families will fight and attack each other. As you can see, their huge size is really amazing. He put down his head and started running wildly, and ordinary wooden houses couldn't stop him."

"I heard from Knight Crow that in the dwarf settlement outside the northern border, they have moose cavalry. But I heard that one moose can carry four or five dwarves. Ha, it's funny to think about it." He said this. , laughter erupted from beneath Knight Lanissa’s helmet.