Mercenaries and Adventurers

Kil smiled and waved to his horse: "Come on, it's time for you to contribute."

The young man next to him had originally planned to pull the heavy tree trunk with his own hands, but then he realized that Keir was actually willing to let his horse help pull the trunk.

Many people were a little surprised that Kil cut down the trees himself, but they didn't expect that Kil, a young knight, could actually do things instead of whipping them with a whip to show his authority and status.

Bloodlicker approached excitedly, and then was greeted by Keir, who asked the young man to put a thick rope around the horse's neck and saddle bridle, and then moved back to tie it to the tree trunk.

Near one end of the tree trunk, the young man who had already cut down the wood cut a groove horizontally on the trunk to facilitate the binding of ropes. Then the thick rope was rotated through and tied a few times, and it was firmly fixed.

"Come on, you push the tree trunk from behind, and I'll let my horse pull it in front!"

Keir said this. Except for the young people who were holding a pile of scattered branches, the other people with empty hands gathered in the middle and rear of the trunk, leaning sideways to hold up the mottled bark on the trunk, waiting for the knight's horse. Pull.

Kil stood on the horse's head, stretched out his hand to pull the reins and signaled forward: "Lick the blood grass, let's go, move forward!"

The horses are very humane and immediately take steps and pull the rope forward.

The rope was immediately stretched straight, and then the whole fallen heavy tree trunk made a creaking and friction sound, and slowly moved forward.

It's not that the horses are weak, but that the resistance here is the greatest at the beginning. When the big tree falls, it creates a groove downwards. The ground is also very soft and the resistance is great. It should be much better once we leave the outskirts of the forest.

"Push harder! Push harder!"

Keir shouted to the ten men standing beside the tree trunk behind him. Only then did those young people shout and push with all their strength.

"Ha! Ha! Ha! Push—!"

As everyone exerted their strength, the movement of the tree trunk accelerated, and everyone slowly pushed the tree trunk out of the forest.

When Kil saw that there were still a few people picking up fallen branches at the same place, he loosened the reins and let the horses pull to the previous clearing. He walked back and urged the stranded people to follow the team: "Don't stay here. Here we are, everyone has gone away, follow us! Be careful, there are monsters in the woods, it’s fine when there are a lot of people, but once there are fewer people, they might pounce out and eat people.”

These threatening words seemed a little funny to Kil himself, but they frightened these young people. So he immediately hugged a lot of branches in his arms and ran out staggeringly to follow the others.

Kil was walking at the end of the team. He looked at the deep woods, chuckled, and turned away.

-

"Brother, the guy in armor won't find us two, right?"

Behind the understory shrubs deeper in the forest, two people wearing colorful animal skins were lying on the ground. Because of the brown and black animal skins they were wearing, they were lying on the ground, almost blending in with the rotten leaves on the ground.

Without speaking, no one would have expected that there were two people here.

"Keep your voice down. If you can't see it, follow me."

The other person responded in a low voice, and then moved his body on his knees. His limbs collided and squeezed slightly with the soft and moist dead branches and leaves on the ground, and a small gargling sound was heard.

The person in front moves, and the person behind follows the path of the person in front and continues to crawl. The two people are like alert wild rats, moving carefully, turning their heads every step of the way.

You have to be careful. In the woods close to the mountains, the danger comes not only from the targets they are attacking, but also from the various dangerous and strange things in the soil and above their heads.

The two quietly followed Kil, who was at the rear, to the edge of the forest.

The two men no longer moved outward, but squatted down among the lush shrubs that could hide their bodies. They slightly moved the branches of the shrubs, revealing two pairs of cruel and alert eyes to watch the woodcutter go away.

"That blue ax must be a good thing. The forest guard trees growing on the edge of the forest are so dense and tough that they can be chopped down in just a few strokes. They can probably be sold for a lot of money."

"Well, the other things look good. Not to mention other people, just selling this guy's equipment will be enough for our team to make ends meet if we don't work for a year."

"Then do you want it?"

"What are you thinking! Can only about twenty of us take down that person? Go back first, explain the situation to the leader, and see if we can join the other teams who have recently lost their way. Let's work together to kill him. .”

"Big ones? Just those poor refugees with only bones and flesh left? They had already taken money when they passed the checkpoint, so how much money can they get?"

"You don't know this, right? I heard from the boss that there is news secretly in the east, recruiting people, no, accepting people, one silver coin per person, these refugees are not human, they are all long-legged people who can walk. Coins."

"Really? Then what are you waiting for? Go back to the temporary camp quickly. Let's tie up a dozen of each of us tonight. Won't we have the money and the future?"

After the rustling two people finished their discussion in the bush, they quietly retreated into the forest. After they could no longer see the scene outside the forest, they crawled down and got up. First they walked quickly with their waists hunched over, and then they got up and started running quickly. He ran towards a undulating hill not far away.

That's the place with the best view nearby, and it's the temporary camp where their group goes on every 'hunting' trip.

The distance was not far, and the two quickly ran over.

Before they got close, they slowed down. On the road near the top of the hill, they relied on a set of patterns marked on the trunks of the surrounding trees that only their own people knew. They turned left and right to avoid some traps laid in advance, and then they arrived. Camp.

It's called a camp, but it's actually just a low cave specially dug out on the top of a small mountain.

There is even a net tied with many dead branches and leaves set up at the narrow entrance of the cave. This net blocks the entrance of the cave, and the mystery behind the covering net is not visible to the naked eye.

They lifted the net, and behind them sat a guard with a sword on his lap.

They are all a family. Although they have different responsibilities, they are all very familiar. The two people who entered and the guards nodded to each other.

"Look at the two of you in a hurry. There is a large group of people staying in the open space on the roadside in the distance. Do you have any goods?"

the guard asked.

They are all family members, so there is no need to hide it, so the two detectives in charge of the investigation nodded. They pulled down the colorful cloth covering their faces and replied affirmatively: "Not only is there goods, there is a guy inside. We can eat all the equipment after selling it." One year. The others are all refugees who were released some time ago and then returned. Although they are probably so poor that they only have skin and flesh left, there are people in the east who are collecting them, and they are all money."

"Hey, if only the news had come earlier, we would have stopped the refugees before they went to the checkpoints, stripped them of their belongings, and sold them and their belongings. These days wouldn't be so troublesome."

The guard answered: "Who says it's not right? Come in quickly."

The guard sat still without moving, with the long sword in his hand still unsheathed. He pointed to the low cave corridor behind him, and the two investigators quickly ducked in.

The passage of mud mixed with rocks sloped and twisted all the way down. After reaching the bottom, the terrain opened up, and a hole the size of a house appeared here.

There were no torches lit inside, but instead relied on some cracks in the cave roof to illuminate a few beams of light coming from the cliff on one side of the hill.

It smelled bad inside, with excrement mixed with body odor and the smell of smelly boots and feet. The two people who had just returned from the outside were shocked by the smell. After a while, they walked around the wooden bed set up in the small cave. and hammock, and came to the only wooden chair with a backrest.

The leader of this bandit is sitting here, with a small table propped up in front of the chair, and on it is a detailed map of the nearby area. There are also some colorful wooden chess pieces placed on the map to observe the situation.

As soon as the two arrived, their leader looked up from the map.

"How's it going? Can you see anything when you get closer? Who is the person, how is the situation, is he fat?"

The two investigators immediately knelt on the ground, lowered their heads and replied to their boss: "We hid in the big trees by the road in advance, and in the woods where those people stopped logging later, we looked carefully."

"Most of them are the fleeing villagers who were paid to let them go. This time, I don't know why a large group of young people came out together and walked east. The leaders were two people, one was a young priest from the church, Although I couldn’t see clearly because I was a little far away, I’m pretty sure it’s someone from the Church of Saturn. He’s riding a horse, and his clothes are different from those of ordinary Church of Saturn, and he’s carrying a long, glowing staff on his back.”

"The other leader is wearing a suit of armor, wrapped tightly, but he doesn't look like a knight lord. The armor is neither gorgeous nor heavy, and the horse is an ordinary prairie horse. Boss, but this warrior He's some kind of person, not only is he wearing metal armor, but he also has a blue ax that glows, which looks extraordinary."

"what else?"

"Boss, is there someone in the east taking in people? Then those poor jingling refugees?"

Facing the 'hint' from his subordinates, the bandit leader chuckled: "We can't catch all the refugees from five hundred people up, including five hundred pigs and sheep."

The two investigating guys became depressed upon hearing this, as if the money they had received was about to run away.

"but."

A single word lifted people's spirits up again: "Boss, stop hanging on to us, come up with an idea! The lives of our brothers completely depend on you!"

As he was talking, two women's continuous painful screams came from the narrow wooden bed not far away, and they were also accompanied by the sounds of several young bandits laughing and scolding.

The bandit leader's face changed, he turned coldly to look at the place where the sound came from, and shouted loudly: "Please pay attention, don't play to death. After all, it was us who got the money and goods before, Waitresses in the hotels I frequent, you used to fawn over me so much, but now you do this, where is your face? You have no face, just driven by the middle leg, I want some face! When a person dies, you give it to your brother How are you playing?"

The last question was quite destructive. Deep in the tightly packed wooden beds, the noisy movement immediately became quieter. Soon, several young bandits with smiles on their faces came over and held up their animal skin pants. They knelt on the ground and apologized to the bandit leader.

This group of young people are also afraid. After all, they understand that it is okay if the bandit brothers who live in the same cave now seem to have a good relationship. But if the leader really gives a punishment order, other people in the gang will not mind whether they are male or female. .

A bunch of people, after night, brother? Brother, take a photo!

-

After dealing with several young bandits who had only joined for two years, the bandit leader continued what he said before: "However, if we join forces with several other gangs, it is not impossible to catch them all. And two of those people sound difficult." The guy who chewed them can be pushed to other gangs to take action. Let's intercept them according to the situation. Refugees are just silver coins, and valuable weapons and equipment are also money, maybe even more valuable."

The leader stretched out his hand and shook his hand: "I want it all!"

The two investigating robbers and the young robber kneeling together cheered in a cooperative atmosphere. The entire gang was established by the leader of the robbers, so if you please this person well, you can get more benefits in the gang.

For money and other benefits, let alone currying favor with the leader, it is not impossible for everyone in the gang to kneel down and lick the leader's smelly boots like now.

"In this case." The bandit leader looked up at the light-transmitting gap in the rock wall that provided lighting in the cave, and judged the current time based on experience.

"In this case, the contact action must be started now. Just in time, you guys." The young bandits named by the bandit leader immediately raised their heads and puffed out their chests, showing fierce and capable expressions on their faces.

"You guys go on a trip here, here, here, and here. Find the gang members in four nearby places and inform them to take action together tonight to see if these fat sheep finally get their hands on you. Swallow them all. Remember, make it clear to their boss that everyone will act according to their ability tonight, and don’t hold others back. The refugees who let go are not human beings, they are just silver coins! Do you remember?"

Several young people immediately nodded sharply: "Remember everyone, everyone depends on their ability, don't hold back, refugees are money."

The bandit leader waved his hand: "Okay, let's each pick a nearby gang territory and set off quickly. We are going to have a big fight tonight! Hahahaha."

When the bandit leader smiled, the others immediately smiled, but this time the smiles were from the hearts of these beasts, happy smiles, proud smiles, and harvest smiles.

On a wooden bed in the darkness of the cave not far away, two naked former hotel maids were sobbing softly and huddled in a trembling ball. They never imagined that the poor young people they had looked down upon in the hotel before would actually look like this.

Not only that, but the healthy-looking middle-aged man who often came to the hotel to spend money and meet foreign businessmen turned out to be the leader of a bandit den so close to their hotel.

Several young bandits who had just bullied them quickly came to the bed and excitedly picked up the weapons and equipment that had fallen under the bed. Without even looking at the two maids, they quickly packed them up and exited the cave happily. .

-

After the feeling of being spied on disappeared, Kil, who was at the back of the team, strode forward to catch up with the others who were walking away in front.

He estimated the possibility of being attacked tonight, but he didn't expect that as soon as he returned to the clearing where he spent the night, he would hear words that made him feel excited from the mouth of the worried Priest Batal.

"Kiel, your companion said that he saw something wrong in the woods in the distance across the creek. It seemed, it seemed."

Kil continued: "It seems that there are people or beasts and monsters in the woods, right? Relax, think about it, what if it was in the woods opposite." Kil pointed to the woods opposite.

"If there are really people or beasts and monsters in the forest, then they may all be people, or they may all be beasts or monsters. Right? After all, there are people and beasts and monsters hiding in the forest, and they can fight on their own. Haha."

"You can still laugh. Tell me, what are your plans?"

Priest Batal looked nervous and pulled Kiel to the carriage. There were no refugee young people near Kiel's carriage, so it was appropriate to speak here.

Kil took off the metal helmet on his head and hung it on his waist. Then he carefully scratched the hair on the top of his head with his fingers wearing steel armor gloves: "It's nothing. I just think tonight may be a good opportunity to give these guys bare hands." The young people need a sum of weapons and equipment. After all, if you want them to help, they have to have something in hand, right? But with so many people, it is impossible for us, you and me, to pay for this sum, which is destined to be quite large. Weaponry and equipment costs.”

"Hmph, I can't afford the money even if I sell you. And I, to be honest, I help you, although I also have some thoughts of supporting justice, but after all, it is because of profit reasons. For these and that. "

Kiel said this and clicked on where the blessings were on both of them: "For these and those, it's impossible to put your own wealth in it, right? And I'm not that rich."

Here, Kil turned his head to one side, not daring to look into Priest Batal's eyes.

But it looked like he was lying, but Priest Batal felt that there was nothing wrong with what Kiel said. Although Kiel was well equipped, it was impossible for him to really spend a large amount of money to arm these eight There are more than a hundred young refugees.

What are you thinking? An armed force of this size must be armed and maintained by at least a knight lord.

A young man like Kiel, who was training as a knight and had not yet received a territory from a noble, was still far behind.

But Kil remembered the many elven silver plates he had in the dream provided by the lady.

A palm-sized silver plate contains hundreds or even more silver coins.

After all, silver plates are pure silver, and silver coins, including gold coins, copper coins, and iron coins, are said to contain metals mixed with other materials in order to be circulated as coins.

Precious metals are relatively soft, so metals that can increase hardness must be added to reinforce them. Copper and iron base metals are easy to change (oxidize), so metals that can improve rust resistance must be added for reinforcement.

In addition, in order to use less precious gold and silver in the coinage of various kingdoms, the purity of the gold and silver coins in circulation is not consistent in various places.

What Keir didn't know was that in order to trade with neighboring empires, the Kingdom of Saint Hors not only had the same style of coins as the empire, but also tried to keep the gold and silver ratio as consistent as possible with the empire's standards.

However, the precious coins of the empire often have different purity, and are not even as useful as the coins of the Kingdom of Saint Holes.