Mercenaries and Adventurers

Kil looked around the empty chapel and then walked towards the sarcophagus placed in the corner.

The surface of this sarcophagus is dark, obviously it has been burned frequently, just like the stone fireplaces that every house has. The four walls of the sarcophagus are made of solid refractory stone, but the top and bottom are made of metal gratings.

The holes in these metal gratings are so large that a fist can pass through them, but they barely function as a barrier. Keir only took one glance and guessed the function of this thing.

Sarcophagi are naturally used to store corpses, but due to some reasons in this other world, human corpses will become active after being left for a long time. Obviously this sarcophagus was used to store and imprison corpses.

In addition, judging from the way the four walls of the sarcophagus were blackened by flames, this thing could also be directly placed on a pile of firewood to light a fire to cremate the corpse in the sarcophagus without opening the sarcophagus to ensure safety.

Simple but functional.

Keir looked inside through the metal grating and saw the tattered face of Martin who had been dead for several days.

Because he had been dead for several days, the scars on his face from the beating had long since subsided and were now stiff and blue. The nose and mouth were so tattered that it was difficult to see their normal shape.

Secretly gritting his teeth, Kil suppressed the anger in his heart.

"Can you open the sarcophagus? Let me check the condition of Martin's body."

Corydon's son was a little embarrassed: "According to the rules, the dead body must always be placed in the sarcophagus and cannot be opened."

Keir waved his hand: "I know, in order to prevent the corpse from causing trouble after death, is it right to hurt other people? It doesn't matter. I have dealt with living corpses before, no problem."

"Since you said so. But you have to close it immediately after the inspection!"

Although he agreed, none of the village stewards present wanted to touch the dead body, but Keir didn't know how to open the thing.

In the end, Wolf, who had been following him, came out and said nonchalantly that he could do it.

Kil winked slightly, but didn't say much. He just gave up his seat, but kept staring at him.

Wolf glanced at Kil, then squatted down calmly and groped with his hands on the dark walls of the sarcophagus. Kiel saw that Wolf found several movable round stalagmites, pulled out the stuck stalagmites from the sarcophagus, and then lifted up the metal grille on the front of the sarcophagus.

"That's it, just reply later." Wolf clapped his hands, stood up and stood aside, his eyes fixed on Kil's next move.

"Huh." Kil remained calm and squatted down to examine the body of Martin, who was already dead and frozen stiff.

In order to ensure indoor lighting, the unused Chapel of Saturn had several wooden windows opened. The cold air from the outside flows in, making the temperature in the house below freezing.

There was still a lot of blood dripping from his mouth and nose on Martin's upper body clothes. Apparently, no one changed his clothes after his death. Keir checked Martin's battered mouth and found that at least half of the teeth in his mouth had been knocked out and were still stuck in his throat.

Even the other teeth that haven't fallen out are still very loose.

Keir held Martin's head with both hands. As soon as he put his hands on it, he felt something was wrong. After fiddling with it for a while, he discovered that the inside of Martin's neck had been twisted alive.

Kil even gestured at his and Martin's necks, and found that Martin's neck had been stretched by a small section.

Needless to say, this must be a fatal place.

After unbuttoning Martin's shirt, Gere found three black marks on Martin's cold and blue chest, which were located on his chest and ribs.

Keir poked with his finger and found that the skin on the upper surface of the body was frozen hard due to low temperature, but the place where the bones originally existed underneath was soft. The blackened area where he was beaten was obviously a broken bone at that time.

Kil pursed his lips and looked at Wolf, the werewolf who was leaning against the wall and tapping his foot on the ground, looking very impatient.

"call."

Exhaling, Kil put Martin's clothes on, then closed the metal railing, and followed Wolf's method just now, pushing the buckle stalagmites on the sarcophagus into the four walls of the sarcophagus, and firmly blocking the metal railing.

"How's it going? Did you find anything, Kiel?"

When the other Kiel village stewards saw Kiel finish, they immediately came over and asked.

Keir nodded: "I have discovered it, but it is not the time to talk about it now."

"What discovery? Can't we tell you yet? We have already checked Martin's body before and found nothing else?" Wolf stared at Kiel and asked with slightly provocative words.

"There is a discovery!" Kil said seriously.

"But now is not the time to tell everyone!"

It was the same answer as before, but this time Kiel said something decisive.

"Let's go. Martin was killed. I already have a clue about the whole thing. Let's do this for now."

"Is this the end?" someone asked.

"Ah, these are roughly enough. We will talk about the rest later. Let's go see how the sharp blades prepared by the blacksmith for the sunfish are doing. After all, the sunken fish matter is the focus of the village now. And I, I came here specifically for this.”

Others heard what Keir said was right. Although the murder of Martin was complicated and confusing, he was just an insignificant person after all. It made no difference whether there was this person in the village or not. Or the sunken fish has more to do with everyone in the village and is more important.

Kil took the lead and led the others towards the blacksmith shop. Wolf, who was at the back, stared at Kil for a while and murmured to himself in a low voice: "Is this enough? Did you really see something? ? Just walk around the cellar and play with the corpses and that’s it? Am I a little too cautious? This young man seems to be bluffing."

-

The village's blacksmith shop is right next to the inn where Kiel lives. Naturally, it is no longer as lively as it was when it reopened a few days ago.

At this time, the only ones left next to the tinkling blacksmith shop were some tightly wrapped children who liked to pick up the unwanted small pieces of charcoal in the blacksmith shop.

In fact, not all children can run outside and play in this cold winter. Many children from farming families do not have enough warm clothing, so they can only play at home for most of the winter, or they quickly run to neighbors to find other children to play with, and have no chance to go out in the village. Run and play freely.

Most of the older boys and girls in the farmers’ families use hand-cranked mills to help them grind grain all day long in winter, hoping that the powdered grain can be sold better in caravans or village warehouses. price.

In addition to helping with household chores, young girls also have to take the place of their hard-working elders and take care of their younger siblings who are waiting to be fed.

In villages where there is no birth control, every peasant woman has many children. Most of them get pregnant in the autumn and winter of each year, and then give birth to new children in the late summer or early autumn of the following year.

Most of the older girls are looking forward to the bold advances from the farm boys next door to them at the harvest festival next year.

Keir and several village stewards came to the blacksmith shop. The busy blacksmith looked dissatisfied at the person who interrupted his work.

"What's the matter? I'm busy right now. I don't have time to greet you." As he said this, the blacksmith, who was sweating all over due to the heat of the stove, directly picked up the ale on the side, drank the remaining wine in big gulps, and then He called the villagers who were called over to help him and went to the tavern to get another glass of ale.

"It's so hot, remember to ask the tavern owner for good wine, and remember the bill first." He shouted loudly towards the villager holding the wine glass.

Coryden's son shrugged and waved his hands to signal the helping villagers to work. Then he led Keir and the others to inspect the newly forged sharp blades.

This is a four-headed metal body forged from four sharp pointed cones, similar to the iron caltrops in the stories of previous lives or the throwing iron nails that can puncture tires.

But this thing is bigger, and Kil can see the skill of the blacksmith who made it. He used a chisel to divide an entire iron plate into palm-like shapes, then fixed the bottom, and broke off the heated and softened tips. in all directions. It is then heated to hammer out the sharp edges at each tip, and then quenched to increase the hardness.

Then some villagers used hand-held whetstones to grind the tip of the blade into a sharp edge. In this way, such a deadly thing was produced.

The process of this thing is very complicated, so the speed of making it is not fast. Being able to make one in a day is already the result of the blacksmith's full efforts.

Kil was quite satisfied with this, and then discussed with others how many of these things were needed to deal with a sunken fish.

"I think a sunken fish needs at least five. The number is too small, and the damage caused to the sunken fish at one time is probably very limited." Keir gestured with his hands.

Some stingy stewards think that this thing is so big, one is enough to deal with the sunken fish, right?

But this was unanimously opposed by others, including the werewolf Wolf. Everyone did not think that a large sunken fish would be killed by one or two of these things.

Keir picked up a metal pointed cone and shook it, then said: "We have to give it a try to see if this thing works."

"How to try?"

In this regard, Keel asked Coryden's son to call his father, 'Lake Diver' Boss and fisherman Wick. They had to try it out with the huge wild boar leg that Keel brought back today. try.

-

After a while, the people called by Kil arrived, and at the same time, the huge pig leg that had been in the village house was also carried over by two villagers.

"Humph, why are you all gathering here? You are hindering my work." The drunk blacksmith said unceremoniously by the stove, but the others saw that he was drunk and ignored him.

At this moment, many people had gathered. After seeing everyone gathered, Kil first told everyone his thoughts on whether the thing would work. He would first make a trap and feed it to the sunken fish to see if it was useful.

If it works, then the village will make a batch on a large scale, spending money when it is time to forge and forge.

If it is of no use, then they can still find another way now, at least the village will not consume much supplies.

The village chief discussed it with some of the stewards he was familiar with, and felt that there was nothing wrong with what the Kiel Warrior said. It was indeed a bit urgent before, and it was indeed appropriate to give it a try now.

After getting the consent of the village chief and the village steward, Keir picked up the huge pig leg alone and placed the frozen hard pig leg next to the hot stove to thaw and soften it.

Soon, Keer poked the pork leg with his hand, and the surface of the pork leg had become soft.

Then he took out a steel dagger and cut a deep gash on the side of the pig's leg. Then he inserted the hand holding the dagger entirely along the gash and cut the internal muscles left and right.

Carefully picking up a metal awl, Kil inserted one end of the awl into it, then cut it slightly along the direction of the awl, inserted the other end, and then again, inserted the last end.

With roughly one end left outside, Kiel turned the entire wild boar leg over, followed the same method, and inserted a metal awl into the other side of the leg.

"Here's a rope," he demanded.

Soon, a strong string was handed to his hand.

Keir wrapped the rope around the pig's leg and tied the cut part tightly.

"Look, everyone, what do you think? Let's hurry up and find someone to find a boat to go out and feed this thing to the sunken fish in the lake. Hey, I hope they like this thing."

Others gathered around to observe and comment on it. Some people thought it was too childish, but others felt that with the gluttonous nature of the sunken fish, they would definitely swallow it whole.

Kil found a cloth to wipe the dagger and gloves, and then came to the two fishermen: "How is it? Wait, who will come with me to feed this thing." Kil pointed to the huge pig leg, There are also metal spikes sticking out from both ends of the pig's legs.

Bos and Wick looked at each other, and then Bos stood up first: "Although it's a little late today, it's up to me. I have to avenge my son's revenge myself."

"Then let's hurry up." Keir said.

-

A large number of people poured out of the blacksmith shop and walked all the way towards the dock on the north side of the village.

The huge wild boar leg was tied with a rope by two villagers and then hung on a wooden pole. The two of them carried it one behind the other.

Kiel also asked someone to hold a small pot of hot coals from the blacksmith shop and walk close to the boar leg to keep the entire boar leg warm and prevent it from freezing again.

Bos and Wick trotted to the pier one step ahead. Wick called his fishermen and put the best fishing boat in the village that could glide on the ice in winter down to the pier. Bose whispered something to his wife and sons.

Baos's eldest son wanted to take his father's place, but he was slapped to the ground by Baos: "Go back! It doesn't matter if I die, it will be an apology to your brother. You can't die. There are so many people in the family. Whether you live well or not depends on you."

He pulled his eldest son up: "You live a good life, let me take care of the risky things."

Seeing Kiel and the others walking slowly, he ordered his family members to go home and wait for him at home.

The other fishermen around him looked on coldly, with no one saying anything or stopping him. Some fishermen whose family members had died in the accident a few years ago even sneered and folded their arms to watch.

Until Kiel came over with many people.

"How's it going? Are everything ready? I think the weather has become cloudy again. Is it not the right time to enter the lake now?" Kil looked up at the gloomy sky and the wind that was gradually blowing from the northwest. of cold wind.

'Lake Diver' Boss took a deep breath and said, "No problem. With my skills, I can glide the fishing boat on the lake even after dark."

Keir nodded: "Then hurry up and try to come back before dark."

Then Kil asked people to put everything on the boat, and he jumped on it himself.

The fishing boat is not the common wooden fishing boat that is common in rivers and lakes, but the main body of a fishing boat, with a wooden 'boat' on both sides.

Kiel knew that this was a type of boat similar to a trimaran. Compared with ordinary boats, this kind of thing had stronger stability and would not be overturned by capsizing fish in the lake.

There is a square sail in the middle of the fishing boat. It is not big, but it is still no problem to use the cold wind blowing in the open environment of the lake to turn and accelerate.

Boss also jumped on board. He untied the rolled-up sail, and then said to Keel: "I will handle the sail. You are young and strong. Use the wooden pole at the stern to push the boat to speed up."

"What?" Keir didn't know what Boss was talking about.

On the dock, Wick came over holding a wooden stick thicker than his wrist, stood on it and handed the thing to Kil from a distance.

"This thing has an iron cone on one end, put it down against the ice, and then push it hard." Wick explained to Kil.

Keir nodded: "Bos, I listen to you, you take command."

"Good boy, let's set off!" After finishing speaking, Bos waved to everyone on the pier. When his family members who had been sent home came out to see him again, he puffed his beard and glared.

Kiel also waved to the people on the pier, then grabbed the end of the wooden stick with both hands, and dropped the end with the iron awl on the pier. He pushed hard, but the pier did not move. The fishing boat slid slowly.

"Good boy, work harder!" Boss shouted.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Kil used all his strength, and the whole ship gradually began to slide.

Then Boss pulled the rope that controlled the rotation of the sail, and the sail changed its angle. It was immediately fed by the northwest wind, and the entire fishing boat tilted and shuddered, accelerating and sliding diagonally toward the east of the pier.

When the speed picked up a little, Bowes asked Keir to come to the side of the fishing boat and use the sharp cone at the bottom of the wooden stick to change the sliding direction of the fishing boat little by little.

"Good boy, tell me, where should we place the bait?"

The wind howled, and the wind blowing on the vast ice surface of Lake Umi was far stronger than the wind in the village or in the wilderness. Only after Bose's voice increased by more than a little did Kiel hear it clearly.

He thought for a moment: "Where do you usually go to dig on the ice to catch fish?"

"The south side of Wumi Lake is one kilometer away, and the east side is one kilometer away from the lake shore. These two places are."

Keel, who occasionally tapped the stick on the ice according to Bowes' instructions to balance the entire fishing boat, responded loudly: "Why not go to the north and west?"

Baos laughed loudly: "The north side is too far from the village. The sunken fish are most active on the west side of the lake, so no one dares to go there."

"Then go to the west bank of Lake Umi."