Mercenaries and Adventurers

The fishing boat took advantage of the cold wind of the night, carrying Kil and the others to glide lightly across the ice of Lake Umi.

Because the wind is northwest, when the sail is turned across, it can take advantage of the maximum wind power. There was no need for Kiel to use a wooden stick to speed up the fishing boat, and he relied entirely on the boating skills of 'Lake Diver' Bose to quickly approach Wumihu Village by gliding.

Suddenly, a bright fire was lit at the village pier in the distance, and then more torches gradually lit up.

"Kiel, they saw the light on our bow!"

Boss said loudly.

Keir held the boat tightly and said nothing.

The fishing boat was moving very fast. When the details of the pier were gradually visible, Boss loosened the rope to prevent the sail from taking any more wind. Then he patted Keir on the shoulder and motioned Keel to go to the bow and prepare to slow down the fishing boat and enter the harbor.

Boss also came to the bow of the ship to give guidance to Keir, who was slowing down when entering port for the first time.

"There's still some distance left, so tap the ice first and slow down slowly."

Following what Bowes said, Keir held the stick steady and extended it out of the bow of the boat. The metal end of the stick touched the frozen lake surface that was gliding rapidly past.

Swish, swish, swish.

Every time you tap it, large amounts of ice particles and snow mist will splash up.

These things were split in two by the bow of the fishing boat, reflecting the light of the lighting torches and scattering shiny little reflections.

Keir tapped lightly on the left and right sides of the bow to ensure that the overall sliding direction of the fishing boat would not change significantly.

"Hey! How are you?"

Wick's loud roar came from the dock, and in the silent night, his roar was extremely clear.

After hearing this, Bose immediately responded excitedly and loudly: "It works!"

He repeated loudly: "It works!"

"efficient!!!"

Immediately, many fishermen gathered on the pier, after hearing this answer, they all screamed with excitement!

Some people were excited, some jumped up excitedly, and others fell to their knees on the cold ground and cried out with emotion.

Keir squinted his eyes and pursed his lips tightly, taking in the scene in front of him.

Although Boss was also very happy, he did not forget to instruct Keir to increase the deceleration force, and used the deceleration to one side to start to reverse the direction of the bow of the fishing boat.

"Slower, slower!" Bos leaned close to Keir's head and said loudly. He had to be louder because he was getting closer to the village pier, and the noisy and enthusiastic sounds on the pier were already so noisy that nothing could be heard.

Following Bowes' instructions, Keel pushed the wooden stick hard under the bow of the ship. A huge force came from the wooden stick. Keel stubbornly maintained his posture to absorb the force.

Accompanied by the crackling sound of the ice surface, Keir forced the fishing boat to stop.

However, the fishing boat was still more than twenty meters away from the dock at this time.

Bose patted his forehead helplessly, while Kil chuckled: "How's it going?"

"It's not bad. At least it's the first time the boat is gliding on the ice without crashing the boat onto the shore." The old man shrugged, and then waved vigorously towards the dock.

"Little bastards, stop making trouble! Come down and help!"

After saying that, he jumped off the bow of the boat neatly. When Keir saw it, he also turned over and jumped off.

Boom.

Unlike Bowes who flipped off the bow of the ship lightly, Keel's feet hit the ice with a dull sound when he landed.

"Kiel, let's push the boat back."

"good."

As soon as Keir got started, he stood on the side of the fishing boat, supported the side of the boat with both hands, and used his legs to push the fishing boat up on the ice.

"Your hands are so strong!" Bos praised from the other side of the boat.

Kil didn't say much, because he also knew that although he had been exercising during this period to keep his young body growing in strength and stamina, there was another factor that he also remembered clearly.

During the Autumn Harvest Festival, he curiously participated in the grand ceremony of the Church of the God of Saturn. In that ceremony that he could not understand, his power was enhanced by the grand magical ceremony.

At that time, he inquired that this increase in power would last for about one to two years, which was indeed very long-lasting.

I heard that this is a magic specially prepared to increase the efficiency of farmers working in the fields.

However, Keir feels that if one does not look at religious tendencies, the enhancement of this magical ritual will also be of great help to warriors who need to fight in close combat.

Such as him.

Several men from the Bose family quickly ran over and helped push the fishing boat to the shore of the pier.

The fishing boat ignored them, and Keir and Bowes walked up the stone stairs immersed in the ice to the pier.

The surrounding fishermen all came over at this time. They were not familiar with Kiel, so they all gathered around Baos, no longer paying attention to the gap between Baos and them, and asked excitedly about the details of the trip.

Keir, on the other hand, was pulled by Wicker, passing through the fishermen gathered around Bos, and came to a place with fewer people at the back.

Here, some stewards from the village who have been waiting here are waiting.

They also curiously asked about the specific situation. While giving everyone a gentle hug, Keir loudly recounted the specific situation before.

I heard that the capsize fish that had swallowed the meat bait smashed a large area of ​​ice abnormally, and swam back and forth between the ice and the lake, accompanied by painful screams and the smell of blood that could be clearly smelled.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief from the pressure on their chests.

The village chief, Coryden, didn't say much. He just patted Kil's shoulder and whispered to Kil that he would send someone to pick up the remaining body parts of the huge wild boar tomorrow morning.

No one asked whether the capsized fish would stop eating the meat bait traps, because the people of Wumihu Village, which is based on the lake, all know that fish in the water are animals that never learn their lessons.

Sunset fish are no exception.

-

Kil was surrounded by the village stewards, and everyone walked slowly towards the village.

Everyone walked slowly along, and then talked enthusiastically about various things in the village.

Occasionally, fishermen and villagers on the side of the road boldly asked them how they were doing with the sunken fish. The stewards did not hesitate to repeat the important news many times to every villager who asked.

The fishermen's families were very excited. After hearing the news, they shouted, sang and danced in the cold streets.

Someone sang the folk song of the past when fishermen rowed happily in Wumi Lake before there were no capsized fish swimming in the lake:

"Paddle, paddle, paddle quickly."

"Cast the net, turn it in a circle, throw the net in a circle."

"Pray for a good harvest today."

"The basket will definitely be full of fish tomorrow!"

Cheerful songs sounded from the mouths of young boys and girls. Even without instrumental accompaniment, the happy mood still infected everyone who heard it.

Keir smiled and talked to Corydon, the cheerful village chief beside him: "About Martin."

"What's wrong?" The smile on Coryden's face immediately faded: "Kiel, what did you find?"

Nodding, Keir confirmed what the other party said: "Yes, in fact, I already know the reasons behind Martin's murder."

"Who is it? Who is so bold as to commit such atrocities in the village?"

Waving his hand, Kiel comforted the other person a little: "I can't tell you who it is, don't get excited, it's not that I want to protect someone." Kiel saw the chaos around him, and the sound of singing was mixed with the sound of people cheering. It was impossible for anyone to hear what he said to Coryden, so he continued: "You know, I am a reliable man specially sent here by Knight Lanisha. And you see, the problem that has been plaguing the village for a long time The sunken fish will definitely be eliminated afterward. Also, when it comes to Martin’s murder, I must not be the murderer. Because I don’t have any reason or opportunity to kill.”

Coryden gradually fell silent after hearing what Keel said. He looked at Keel carefully like he did when he saw Keel for the first time, including his demeanor, mental state, temperament, murderous intention and murderous aura.

These experiences he had learned throughout his life told him that the young man in front of him was not lying.

And although there was a lot of murderous energy in his hands, they were all firmly controlled.

To put it bluntly, Keir is not a man who kills indiscriminately.

Squinting his eyes, Coryden suddenly noticed something. Even in such a safe and warm moment, this young man from outside did not take off the helmet on his head, but only raised his visor to talk to him. .

Why?

What is this young man wary of?

Our village?

But it is impossible for the villagers in the village to harm this brave young warrior. After all, everyone still relies on each other to direct and deal with the capsized fish.

So what is he wary of?

And his left hand has been kept under the cloak, slightly attached to the hilt of the sword hanging on his waist.

Is there anyone he must be wary of?

who is it?

who?

Could it be related to Martin's murder?

"Old man?"

Kil looked at the village chief Coryden across from him and froze when he was speaking, and had to remind him to come back to his senses.

"Oh, oh, yes, you are right." Coryden came back to his senses, patted Kil on the shoulder, and asked him to continue.

"So, I need you to trust me in this matter."

Kil paused: "Trust me to put aside the matter of Martin's murder for the time being. If the predictions are correct, the matter will end soon. If it is slow, Martin will be killed before the Sunfish is completely solved." Find the murderer and subdue him."

uniform?

Corydon noticed the word, not arrest, but uniform. The subtext of this word is that the murderer will resist, and will resist. And coupled with the attitude of the Kiel Warriors at this time, the murderer may not be simple.

He thought for a while, and there was nothing wrong with what Warrior Kiel said. Regarding Martin, he might be able to trust him for once.

Phew, it was mainly because the other party was sent by the lord, not for other reasons.

If Martin was really killed by Kiel, then the lord might have the intention behind it, so he should leave it to Kiel to handle this matter.

"Yes, Kil. I agree to your request. Also, is there anything else you need me to do? Let's talk about it together."

Kil grinned and smiled slyly: "As for the foreign caravans temporarily staying in the village, please inform them that they can leave in the next two days. Also, please do not tell anyone else what we are talking about now."

"No one can do it?"

"No one can do it!"

-

Early the next morning, Kil climbed out of a warm and comfortable bed. Even though he wore armor when sleeping, the bed was still much better than a sleeping bag.

At least in cold weather, there is a big difference in temperature between sleeping by the fire and sleeping in the house.

After a simple cleaning, Kil prepared all the weapons he needed and put them on his body. The long gun with its barrel broken off was placed in the backpack luggage of the hostel.

Go downstairs and spend money to pack the new bread ordered last night into the small backpack behind you.

After walking out of the Scattered Fish Scales Hotel, Keir came outside the village house.

Accompanied by the sound of the bellows being pulled back and forth in the blacksmith shop not far away, the entrance to the village house was very lively.

Nearly ten strong fishermen were led by middle-aged fisherman Wick, and each of them carried part of their luggage. Judging from the different preparations of each of them, we know that these fishermen who fish in Wumi Lake all day rarely go out far from the village on land.

At the same time, two groups of foreign caravans also got up early and prepared carriage goods inside and outside the village house, planning to leave Wumihu Village early in the morning. Wolf was discussing with the caravan steward he knew about the next batch of foreign goods that the village would need, and they were scrambling over the agreed price for each kind of goods.

Keir chuckled lightly. If he didn't know the details of that person, he would definitely have been deceived by the other person's dedicated performance.

"Good morning, everyone!"

When Wick saw Kil appear, he immediately came over and hugged Kil hard. As a result, Kil's armor made him feel uncomfortable.

This scene was seen by his fishermen, and they all laughed.

When Wolf saw this scene, he also came over, looked at Kiel and the others, then said a few blessings at random, turned around and continued talking to the caravan manager he knew.

Wick glanced at the caravan's carriage with envy, and whispered to Kil: "It would be great if we could have a carriage this time. Even if we are still walking, we can put all our luggage, large and small, on the carriage."

Keir ignored his complaints and asked everyone to wait. Then he entered the village house, took out the horse that had been saddled and other things, gave the groom a copper coin, and then rode on the horse outside the village house.

He looked at the prepared fishermen and said: "Everyone, please don't worry. I will protect everyone in the wild. But you also need to follow my instructions when traveling and camping."

"no problem."

"OK."

"You have the final say. After all, you were able to hurt the sunken fish yesterday."

"Isn't that right? Normally when we see a sunken fish, everyone runs away."

"Kiel, let's set off now. I hope to get the wild boar bodies you mentioned as soon as possible, if they are really as big as you said."

Kil shrugged: "Wick, believe me, didn't you also see the boar legs? It takes two people to lift them. And everyone knows that the boar has four legs."

"Ha ha ha ha."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Then, including Kil, Wick, and eight other fishermen, everyone walked out of the south gate of the village and continued walking south-east.

Kiel did not choose to take the same path as last time. The main reason was that he was very confident in his sense of direction in the wild and his ability to determine the distance to walk.

In addition, there is another meaning. Not going through the east gate also means to mislead Wolf. There is a possibility of controlling Wolf's psychology through the air.

He puts himself into Wolf's perspective. If Keir takes the east gate every time he leaves the village, it may cause Wolf to be particularly worried about the mill. There was no way he wasn't worried.

The last time Keel left the village, he was forced to kill the mill keeper Martin.

Although Keir returned to the village and took charge of the investigation into Martin's death, he seemed to be putting on a show.

But if Kil leaves the village this time through the east gate, it will definitely cause Wolf to be particularly worried.

He would wonder if his identity had been discovered, or if the werewolf thing would not be exposed, but would be revealed in the village and let everyone know. This may not seem like much, but it is really not good news for Wolf as he continues to hide in Umihu Village.

Not to mention whether it would trigger Knight Lanissa's crusade, but letting the people in the village know about the presence of werewolves would cause great trouble for his actions during the full moon.

And only if Keel did not take the east gate this time, he would give Wolf a hidden response: The mill at the east gate is nothing, and I am not curious about it.

Keir smiled as he sat on his horse.

He specifically asked the village chief to release the foreign caravan temporarily staying in the village, in order to untie Wolf, who was responsible for contacting the caravan. The guy might feel relieved for a day or two, but when he was free, he would definitely think about himself on the top of the mill. Whether the above matter has been discovered.

He must go and see it.

And when Wolf goes up to take a look, he will find out.

Keir has already been there a long time ago.

After contacting the Northern Forest that they had met when dealing with the Wolf King, they immediately realized that his own werewolf affairs had probably been discovered by Keir.

When the time comes, Wolf will guess that Kil knows there is a werewolf in the village, but he probably doesn’t know who it is.

But will Wolf be relieved?

Definitely not. He will definitely wonder whether Kiel is deliberately pretending not to know about this, or whether he has always known about it, but did not put him and the sunken fish together.

Busy dealing with sunken fish, but looking down on him as a werewolf.

Doubt, worry, panic, the humiliation of being looked down upon.

All these will drive this guy with two faces, causing the beast in his body to burst out and kill directly towards Kil, who is still in the wild.

Only by directly killing this guy Kil in the wild can everything be buried again.

Or, buy him time so that Knight Lanissa will definitely come later.

Pack your luggage and belongings and escape from Umea Lake Village and Kendall County.

Just like years ago.

Keir analyzed it and felt that things would generally develop into this situation in the future.

He patted the hunting sword on his waist and the ax stuck on the back of his armor. He believed that with their help, he should have no problem dealing with a cunning and angry werewolf alone.

-

There is also a large field outside the south gate of Wumihu Village.

A once clean, but now overgrown and snow-covered dirt road leads south to the edge of the forest.

Looking from a distance, in the black and white world, there seemed to be several tall wooden houses on the edge of the forest, as well as tree trunks built beside the wooden houses.

Kil saw something strange about the lumberyard in the village, and asked Wick, who was walking next to him: "Didn't you say that since the wolves in the North were raging, the villages have all shrunk back into the walls? Why am I looking at that from a distance?" In the lumberyard, there are still trees that have been cut down and piled together?”

Wick adjusted the baggage on his back, feeling that the linen baggage prepared by his family was not as useful as the small backpack Kiel carried outside the cloak behind him. He answered Keir's question casually: "That's a tree cut down every winter. Whenever the Winter Lord leads people into the forest to attack the wolves in the North, as long as a period of time passes, the wolves will shrink back." In the forest.”

"At this time, the owner of the lumberyard will lead his lumberjacks, protected by a small number of militiamen, and rush over to seize time to cut down the wood needed for next year."

He kicked the snow on the ground casually: "But not long after this year, the wolves shrank back to the big forest. And then, you know, thanks to you, everyone no longer has to be careful about logging. Hehe , not only logging, without the northern wolf, phew, we don’t need to be careful about anything we do.”

Speaking of this, he laughed at himself: "Except for new troubles."

"Sunfish!" Keir said.

"Hey, that's what I had to say."

"Ha ha."