Mercenaries and Adventurers

On the open grassland, several horse-drawn carriages are forming a fast-moving team, and they are currently moving along the lush grassland full of ruts.

Even on roads that are repeatedly trampled by caravans every day, they have to bow their heads and admit defeat in the face of extremely tenacious weeds. The thick iron-clad wooden wheels crush the young grass into juice, but often after a cloud and rain passes by, countless tender grass buds will quickly grow on the soft soil that has absorbed the grass juice and rain.

Residents of the Western Province all know that unless the continuous grass roots under the land are cleared away, there is simply no way to prevent these tenacious plants from occupying the trade routes.

When residents first established settlements, they had to painstakingly plow the land deeply and use fire to burn the grass seeds and roots in the soil, so that they could build stable houses and streets. Otherwise, without such treatment, the house will often be filled with annoying weeds after a few years.

In the case of insufficient population, it is already very laborious for each settlement to deal with the land in the towns and villages, and they simply do not have the ability to deal with the entire trade road in the same way.

"This is good. At least the carriage traveling on such a road is not particularly bumpy!"

One of the first carriages got on, and Kil was talking to the Grass Rat Town soldier driving the carriage next to him.

At this time, after taking care of the affairs in Grass Rat Town, Kiel and his group were hurrying along the trade route to catch up with Kendall's army, which was a few days ahead of them.

Of course the carriages they sat on were not theirs, but were tools given to them by the Lord of Grass Rat Town, the knight Anvina.

The drivers were soldiers from the town. After sending this group of Kendal people to their main army, these soldiers had to drive back to Grass Rat Town again.

Kilburn and Lubis' plan was to rent a carriage from the Chamber of Commerce in town to travel. After all, the army is several days ahead of them. If they catch up with only two feet, although they have a slight advantage on the march with a small number of people, if they chase one after another in the same direction, it will take several days to really catch up with the large army. days time.

But if this is the case, then the rented carriage from the Chamber of Commerce can only pull people without a load, and it will be a huge loss if it does not pull goods at all. Safety is also very insecure.

After all, if Kiel and others rent a car to catch up, their safety will be guaranteed by soldiers and guards like them. But what about when you return? An empty Chamber of Commerce carriage will cause a lot of losses to the Chamber of Commerce to which the carriage belongs.

After all, the carriage itself is a valuable thing.

Therefore, Keir and others asked several chambers of commerce in Grass Rat Town, but they were all rejected by the chambers of commerce. Even if they proposed several times the price, no chamber of commerce would agree.

In the end, it was Pavel who learned of the matter and informed the Lord Knight of Anvina about Kil and others' plans and troubles.

The Anvina knight, who was particularly optimistic about Kiel, immediately arranged several carriages and soldiers to assist Kiel and others.

Behind Kil, the other Kendal people sitting in the spacious carriage heard Kil's words and nodded. Although the road was covered with grass and couldn't see the specific road, it was a troublesome thing for them sitting in the carriage. It brings a good riding experience.

Especially when you only attract people, not goods. The carriage ran very fast, pulled by two strong horses.

The surrounding scenery is broad and the grass is full of flowers. The scenery is exceptionally good and refreshing. And the carriage is not bumpy, it is really comfortable.

But this is only what Kendal people, as outsiders, think.

The soldiers from Cao Shu Town who were driving the cart didn't think so: "Soldier Kiel, what you said is wrong."

The other party shook his head and argued with Kiel's words.

"This is still walking on a trade road with frequent trade. If it is in some other places, there are no roads at all, and people can easily get lost on the grasslands with the same scenery. They can only identify the direction through the stone pillars and stars erected in advance."

"Haha, it's like a ship sailing on the ocean!" Gere made an analogy.

But the middle-aged soldier driving the cart smiled bitterly and shook his head: "It's similar, but not the same. The surrounding grass is only about half a meter high, so it can't be called a 'sea'. I heard that in the real sea of ​​grass, the green grass under our feet It will grow to several meters high, and it will be like a maze that can swallow people. If you walk in, it will be impossible to come out."

Keir shrugged and said nothing.

In the afternoon, clouds containing rain drifted across the sky.

Looking at the increasing number of clouds compared with yesterday, the soldier driving the carriage talked to Keir about what really worried him.

"Soldier Kiel, in a few days, there will be continuous rain on the grassland. At that time, the road will be difficult to move forward. I hope we can reach your army before then."

"Are there any troubles after the rain?" In the carriage compartment, the clerk Yimol asked curiously.

"It's a big trouble." The soldier driving the carriage nodded heavily.

He went on to explain: "The land will absorb the rainfall and become soft. Only the reinforced land in towns and villages will not be affected. In other places, the ground will be as soft as if you stepped on a girl's lap."

A Nightingale militiaman answered cheerfully: "Isn't that great?"

"Okay?" Shaking his head, the soldier driving the carriage continued: "At that time, except for empty carriages, other vehicles could not move at all. Once the road was pressed, the vehicles would sink deeply into the mud. Some were particularly soft. It will even swallow people who walk on it whole.”

"The only thing we can do is wait for the sun to dry up the water on the ground. But if it rains continuously, no one can walk on the trade road. Even short-lived small lakes will form in low-lying places, and these lakes will block the road. It has to be bypassed.”

Kil nodded, feeling that they had to hurry up and try to catch up with the main force as soon as possible. There were more clouds overhead, and it was obvious that the heavy rain was coming soon.

The secretary recorded the information and hoped that the army would be prepared to deal with such trouble.

-

Since the carriage only pulled people and carried no cargo except for a few supplies on the road, Kiel and his party moved forward very quickly.

Along the way along the trade road, he asked the villages and towns he passed about how long it had been since the entire army passed by.

Although the western province with flat roads is convenient for the army to march forward, it is obvious that teams like Kiel are faster.

Because the drivers, including the drivers, were all warriors with a certain degree of force, they were bold and did not stop at the villages and towns along the way when moving forward. They set off after dawn every day, walking all morning and resting at noon. After resting the horses, we walked forward for the whole afternoon and bravely stayed overnight in the wilderness.

The soldier driving the carriage thought at first that the Kendal people were crazy. Aren't they afraid of encountering horse bandits or wolves when they stayed in the wilderness at night?

But Kiel ensured their safety for the night, and no one would risk their losses to attack an entire small team that was fully capable of fighting.

Sure enough, when they were on their way during the day, a lone horseman fell far behind their carriages. However, after observing for a while, the horse bandit investigators gave up their plan to deal with Kiel and his group.

No one would mess with a team like theirs. Everyone is wearing armor and carrying a sword, and it looks like it is difficult to bite from a distance. Without the information, even the horse bandits will not try it.

While staying in the wilderness at night, the scout wolves in the wolf pack also stared at Kiel and the others from a distance with their animal eyes flashing.

In response, Kil asked everyone to raise their weapons in front of the scout wolf and make a loud noise. The purpose of this is to tell these beasts that this group of people is not easy to mess with, and the wolves cannot do it even if they change one for one.

If it doesn't pay off, it's a loss-making business.

In this way, the prying eyes of the wolves recede.

As soon as day broke, several carriages moved forward quickly, leaving the cunning wolves who had returned to investigate far behind.

So for three days.

Kiel and the others finally caught up with Kendall's militia outside a town before another dark night.

-

The driving soldiers in Grass Rat Town were afraid of looking at the camp where the army spent the night. After leaving Keir and others outside the military camp, they hurried to a nearby town to settle down.

The soldiers will then set off back to Grass Rat Town.

"Thank you Knight Anvina for your support! Of course, I also want to thank you all for your hard work these days!" Kil waved his hands and thanked the soldiers driving the vehicles in Grass Rat Town.

"This is what we should do. After all, you helped eradicate a cancer in the town." Shouting equally loudly, the soldier driving the carriage waved and drove the completely empty carriage to the town not far away. They needed to get there before it got completely dark.

When the carriage drove away, Kil turned around and looked at the people around him and shrugged: "Well, I'm finally back."

Seeing everything familiar in the military camp, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

The baron's bodyguard, Lubis, was okay. He often followed the baron between Kendal County and the provincial capital. His experience of such long journeys was ordinary.

But for others in the team, being far away from their hometown of Kendall County, in a strange land and people, an army composed entirely of Kendall people was the only place where they could feel at ease after being far away from home.

Lubis nodded to Keir, and then led a whole team of Nightingales into the circular military camp.

The two town guards, Kayan and Zambirus, nodded to Kiel, said goodbye and walked towards the place where the town guards camped in the military camp. They have many stories and experiences to show off to their colleagues.

The businessman Pus-Oluobi exchanged a few words with Kil with a small clay pot in his arms. He was going to return to the army merchant camp next to the military camp, find his friends, put down the ashes of the dead businessman Shillong, and then take them with him. He went to the military camp with other businessmen to meet His Excellency the Baron.

"In that case, let's see you later." Kil nodded, preparing to take the secretary to inform Knight Crowe and Baron Kendall of the past few days in advance.

"Kiel."

Kil was about to say goodbye when he was stopped by the businessman.

Turning around, the businessman held the clay pot filled with ashes in one hand and took out another small money bag that had been prepared from his money bag with the other hand.

"Please take this, thank you and others for your help this time. Hey, if it weren't for you, Shillong would have died in vain far away from home." Ouluobi shook his head: "I couldn't have imagined the end of the matter. It will be like that. You have all taken extra huge risks this time. Although it is not much, this money can be regarded as some compensation for you."

Without any pretense, Keir took the small money bag handed over by the businessman.

Clerk Yimol looked at the small money bag given by the merchant with disdain, feeling that the guy opposite was really stingy.

On the last day in Grass Rat Town, the verdict and punishment on the execution platform gave him a big shock. Yimol obviously realized how tragic and important the battle that morning was. Although the Kendal people who intervened were just right, they were still a decisive force in it.

Even if they intervened in the balance of power in Grass Rat Town by coincidence. But the soldiers fighting on the front line still took great risks and brought important support.

The local lord knight then gave rewards to several of their group who participated in the battle and were active. Judging from the expressions of Kil, Lubis, Zambirus and others, the warriors were very satisfied with the rewards given by the knights.

However, as the starting point of everything, taking a great risk to execute the murderer, as a representative of the Red-haired Chamber of Commerce, Ouluobi would use this thing to thank Kiel and the others right now?

He somewhat despises Ouluobi, he is really stingy.

Moreover, neither the knight lord nor the businessman gave him any reward before and after the incident.

snort.

But Keir smiled and accepted the money bag handed to him. Because Kil keenly discovered that although the money bag handed over was small, the merchant still used some strength in his hands when he took the small money bag out of the big money bag.

If he guessed correctly.

Keir shook the money bag in his hand, and from the clanking sound of the coins in the money bag, he got the sound he wanted to hear.

The businessman and the young warrior smiled tacitly. Only the secretary, who didn't usually come into contact with high-denomination coins, looked dumbfounded.

"Thank you for your generosity. I will distribute the money to other people in the team according to merit. They will know that the Red Hair Chamber of Commerce is not only a chamber of commerce that is united internally, but also a chamber of commerce that shows generosity to those who help them. I wish you Enjoy the favor of the God of Wealth with your Chamber of Commerce.”

Satisfied, Kil placed the small purse containing gold coins inside the leather armor on his chest.

The businessman Ouluo Bi also nodded heavily: "Although there were some twists and turns with the army this time, I also gained something on the way. Experience and knowledge, intelligence and friendship, these are things far beyond ordinary wealth. I also hope that everyone will accept it. The expedition down was also blessed by the God of Wealth."

Bidding farewell to the merchant, Kiel walked into the military camp with the secretary.

Everything was as usual in the military camp. The militiamen had already adapted to the marching days. Compared with the previous rush, no matter which militia team they were at this time, they already had experience and skills in setting up camp for a short period of time.

When setting up camp every day, everyone knows who to look for first and what to do at the same time.

Some teams know that they have to go to the logistics carriage as soon as possible to collect the wood for building the camp's outer wall fence, and some teams know that they have to help the chefs cook. Even if their cooking is not delicious, the simplest thing is to use a dagger to peel it. Potato peels are always there, right?

There are also teams who know that they have to dig out a hole for excretion at a fixed location in the military camp with a shovel immediately. After all, after a day of walking, many soldiers can't hold back their stomachs.

Keir also keenly felt that, after leaving the military camp for a while, he also vaguely discovered that compared to the chaos when the entire army set off from Kendall City, the entire army at this time was more like a well-made and complex machine.

It is operating efficiently and smoothly.

I just don’t know if it will operate as smoothly as it does now when it really plays its role.

-

In the baron's own tent.

At this time, the baron himself and the two knights had arrived. Kil was standing with the clerk and Lubis, and the three of them told the baron and others about the journey.

Knight Rumi was not interested in the specific process, but he was very interested in the Knight Rusvis-Anvina whom he had never seen before. And he was envious that the other party could control a prosperous town just by being a knight.

"It's a lot of money just to collect taxes on the caravans every year, right? After all, there are a lot of soldiers under his command." He murmured to Knight Crow while eating dinner.

Knight Crow's focus was on the Thieves Guild described by Kiel. Of course, he was also curious about the military experience behind Knight Anvina and planned to talk to Kiel about it later.

After all, when the knight joined the army, he was stationed on the edge of Caohai in the Western Province. He had heard about the "Caohai" before he came here.

Baron Kendall was flipping through the detailed records recorded by Clerk Imore in his hand while listening to Kiel and the others' experiences.

He was interested in everything his men experienced.

Not only was it about how they investigated the killing of the merchants who accompanied the army, but they also interfered with the balance of local forces. Even the level of local economic development, the density of buildings and shops, the composition of the population, and the public's reaction to the knight's final execution.

Of course, of course, the most important thing is the matter of the Thieves Guild.

After all, no one expected that the murder of an ordinary businessman turned out to be a conflict between the secret forces of the Thieves Guild and the local official forces.

After Kiel and the three of them finished speaking, the Baron tried his best to persuade them that there would be rewards later, and then let them go down to rest and eat.

When there were only three of his own people left in the camp, the Baron and Knight Crow looked at each other and talked about the Thieves Guild.

"Claw, do you think there are any of those people in the county?"

The baron put down the book in his hand and looked up.

Knight Crow touched the beard on his chin, pondered for a while and then shook his head: "If it is Kendall City, I can guarantee that it is not. After all, judging from what happened this time, those guys in the dark will probably start from Gangs develop secretly at the bottom of every town.”

"But you know that several gangs in the city are actually affiliated with people from the Government Affairs Office, and the Government Affairs Office is managed by your family. There will be no one involved in it, and you don't know it." Knight Law finally said this.

"That's right. What about Bingshuguan? It's impossible for a place like that not to be active with some people like this." The Baron was worried.

"Don't worry, how long has that place been established? It wasn't after the prosperity of Kendall City that the Ice Flood Pass was established. I remember when I was young, it was just a normal pass."

"However, after returning this time, you really need to pay attention. I can't guarantee that there won't be anything similar. But it's really possible, those people. They dig traps and activity spaces underground. This was developed in just a few years. And in some big cities with history, who knows what will happen to the dark places caused by these thieves?"

"A dark labyrinth underground?"

At the end, Knight Rumi joked.