Mercenaries and Adventurers

Keir didn't want to get involved in other people's educational activities, so he silently stabbed the last piece of poultry on the plate in front of him with his fork, dipping it in the sauce made from mushrooms and swallowing it.

Little Kenina pouted angrily, but she didn't dare to disobey her father's order, so she had no choice but to beg pitifully to the uncles at the head of the banquet.

Old Mr. Bontolisa smiled and advised the little girl to go home and rest early. After all, if you go to bed too late, the young girl will get acne on her face. Mr. Otto Fitten didn't care about this: "She likes to play, so let her play. Everyone's youth is limited, and some people's are shorter. Tonight will be a day without wind or rain." It’s a beautiful night. It’s unlikely that such a banquet will be held in the coming days, right?”

"So, let her dance and pick a young man who likes her. Anyway, you will be watching."

Next to him, Mr. Scott originally wanted to say a few words, but after just listening to Mr. Ottos Feiten's words, Mr. 'Fuck Ollier' agreed to the matter without thinking too much.

He said to his little daughter: "Do you hear me? Just play a little longer. Find someone to dance with and then go home."

The little girl's eyes were crooked, and she responded obediently: "Okay! Father——"

A waiter next to him brought a soft stool for the little girl to sit next to and behind Mr. 'Flat Dry Olier'.

Only this one was able to sit next to the main seat of the banquet. Girls from other wealthy families could only sit on the two sides with their families.

At this time, the waiters reduced the lighting in the banquet hall by half, focusing on retaining the lighting in the center of the banquet hall, making the stage they had previously arranged more eye-catching.

The band musicians carrying various instruments came to the edge of the wooden stage and sat down close to the performance positions placed here. They simply picked up a beat and began to play the previously planned program - the third movement of "Spring Flowers".

According to Mr. Scott who had finished his meal, this third movement lasted at least an hour. The entire movement was divided into four sections, each using music to describe the emotions related to four distinctive flowers.

Among them are pure and elegant orchids of various colors, and this piece of music is long and ethereal. There are also intense and passionate roses. This piece of music naturally represents the love between young men and women. There are also fruit tree flowers that represent a lush and abundant harvest. This piece of music is full of hope for a good harvest, and the melody is weird and dull, but it indispensably represents the responsibility and responsibility of adults. This piece of music implies that many are flowers, but they are not like flowers. Various exotic flowers of flowers.

As they talked, the musicians began to perform.

Sure enough, as one musician played the trumpet harp in his hand, and another musician blew the flute at the right time, people could hear that clusters of orchids slowly bloomed beside the quiet river.

There seemed to be fish jumping up and splashing down in the river, with a popping sound, which was startling. Although there was no sound, it made people feel a sense of tranquility and tranquility.

Just like the warm spring breeze blowing out from the mouth of Joy, the goddess of spring, it picks up people's hair and flows away from their ears.

At this time, a young girl took control of herself and walked up the steps to dance alone.

While twisting his waist and wrist, he stretched out his wrist to the bard, inviting him to come on stage and dance with him. It looks like one butterfly dancing and inviting another.

The handsome bard smiled modestly and looked around, seeing middle-aged ladies with stinking faces. But the bard with superb fishing skills knew that the best thing was what he couldn't get, so he just whispered a confession from left to right, then stood up, simply arranged his clothes, and made dance moves from the stage, stepping on his feet. Following the rhythm of the music, she slowly danced onto the stage.

Dance with that brave young girl.

As the two danced together, the businessmen and men present invited the ladies they knew well to come on stage in twos and threes and start spinning and dancing.

Mr. Scott, who was next to Keir, took a final sip of wine, stood up, straightened his clothes, put one hand behind his back and the other in front of him, inviting Mr. 'Dry Oriel''s little daughter to come on stage and dance with him.

"Miss Deripari, can you dance with me?"

Mr. Scott asked the little girl in a low voice with a formal and serious expression.

Mr. 'Fuck Ollier' slapped his hands and asked his little daughter to dance. But the little girl pouted and said pitifully: "But I want to dance the rose dance with Mr. Felicis."

Mr. Scott's seriousness didn't last for a few seconds, and he winked and said: "You can be your uncle. I am the bard. You see, he has two ears, two eyes, one pair of hands and three legs. "

"Three legs?" The little girl was a little confused.

"Ahem, two legs, two legs. Anyway, you can take the opportunity to wink at the bard on the stage. When the song ends, you can also use the closest distance from the stage to invite him to continue dancing. .”

After saying that, Scott beckoned an outstretched hand and motioned for the little girl to put her hand up.

As soon as she heard that this was possible, the little girl jumped up from the soft stool excitedly. Then, amidst her father's warning cough, she neatly lowered her body, pulled up her dance skirt, and then put her hand on Scott's. Holding the palm of his hand, the two of them walked around the main seat of the banquet and went to the wooden stage.

Kil was not interested in this, mainly because he couldn't dance, so when Mr. 'Dry Oriel' asked him in a low voice, Kil straightened up, looked at the banquet hall, and found that Mr. Bontorissa was talking to Mr. Otto Fitten came to the terraces on both sides of the banquet hall, talking, drinking and enjoying the scenery.

He replied: "I'm not interested in dancing. Let's go to the terrace to enjoy the breeze and smell the flowers?"

Taking this as an invitation to talk, it was natural for Mr. 'Fuck O'Leary' to have a private chat with the young knight from the north.

So, the two of them chose the second-floor terrace on the other side opposite the two in front, each holding a glass of wine and walked slowly over.

-

The terrace is right against the wall of the banquet hall, with two on each side. There are four such terraces on the entire floor.

It can be regarded as a place where only people with certain status in the scene are qualified to use it. Although no one stopped him, most banquet guests would not approach unless there was a real need to talk alone.

At this time, the terrace that Keir and Mr. 'Flat Ollier' walked towards had already been opened by the waiters during the meal, so as soon as they approached, they could feel the warm evening breeze of spring, accompanied by, naturally, Intense floral aroma.

Keir placed the wooden wine glass filled with high-end ale on the rock fence, raised his hand and leaned on it, taking a deep breath through his nose.

Inhale——, exhale——.

He only had a subtle feeling of relaxation filling his heart at the moment.

"That's great."

He praised this.

Mr. 'Dry Oriel' chuckled, and followed Keir's example, placing the silver wine glass in his hand on the rock railing of the terrace.

"Are you talking about the banquet? Otto Fiten has always been very good, whether it is this new banquet restaurant or the normal business of their chamber of commerce. It's just a pity that he has always been in poor health."

Kil knew that the other party would be wrong, but it was difficult to correct him, so he followed the other party's words and said, "Did that old Mr. Bontolisa do it on purpose? Did he deliberately tell that nonsense story about a strange god?"

"Humph, you can see it too? But we all know that even if it is a trap or bait, we, Mr. Otto Fitten, have to jump into it. Because he has no choice."

Shaking his head, Mr. 'Dry Oriel' continued: "I don't know what happened to him. I also heard that a church priest at the diocesan level treated his body, but with no results. In the past two years, Otto Fiten also spent a lot of money to buy a bottle of powerful potion in the provincial capital, but his body is still like this. Huh, he is sweating and out of breath even after climbing the stairs. Is this a normal person's body? "

"Do you know? He is only twenty-seven years old! Twenty-seven years old. Ten years ago, when I was my age, I led a caravan alone to confront several groups of bandits, and relied on my eloquence to make them kill each other. Finally escaped. I can drive a carriage at full speed by myself."

He shook his head: "If it were me, I would have given up long ago. Oh, I can live as long as I can, and I will even devote all my energy and resources to faith, in order to enter the kingdom of the great God of Wealth after death."

Kiel took a sip of ale and said, "It seems that Mr. Ottos Fetten is a stubborn, uh, strong man. He did not surrender to his fate."

"That's not true. Ha, he even dared to challenge fate. At this time, he was on the opposite side. He listened to the old liar's nonsense and probably took risks to the three northern countries. Hmph, repeat the same process."

Mr. 'Dry Ollier' shook his head disdainfully and cursed something in his mouth.

"What?"

Keir wondered what he was cursing.

"I said, how can it be so easy to meet gods? Right? Except in stories, I have never seen anyone see gods. Even some big shots, people like me, find it difficult to see them in their lifetime."

Kil touched his nose and didn't know what to say. Do you want to tell the other party that he had just seen the God of Agriculture in person a few days ago, and as long as he entered the dream and asked Ms. Apolifina for help, there was a high probability that he would get it. Direct response.

In Keir's mind, the elf lady was no different from a human god in terms of abilities.

However, by saying this, Mr. Deripari might think that he was drunk and talking nonsense. Fortunately, the other party just said a few words about being a familiar companion, and soon got down to business.

"Okay, Knight Kil, what can we talk about? Your common mission with Priest Saturn? Or a business deal?"

Although the other party was drinking, his eyes were bright and the corners of his mouth were slightly raised, obviously thinking clearly.

Kil raised his eyebrows, but he didn't expect that the other party had already heard this from his team within half a day of contacting them. But it didn't matter. After all, he and Priest Batal did not keep this kind of thing secret in the team. They even encouraged those who dared to fight to join the subsequent action to save the villagers of Changmai Village.

The more people, the better. After all, the strength of the opponent is unknown. Kiel is not afraid of having too many people. He is only afraid that if there are few people, the enemy will be too strong.

And Mr. 'Foolish Olier' is also quick to inquire about information. He, Keir, cannot be intimidated by the other party like this.

Kil then smiled, without any panic at being pointed out that he was on a mission.

"How about a deal first?"

"What a deal."

"Some bandits were captured on the trade road to the west. To be honest, there should have been at least dozens of them, but the fighting was extremely fierce at that time. I became enthusiastic about fighting and killed many bandits who could be captured. .”

Keir's words made the businessman opposite frown: "How many people? Oh, I'm not asking how many people you killed, but how many people you have in your hands now."

"About ten of them, they are all despicable bandits who can be executed at will. Of course, they have all signed a debt contract that will last a lifetime according to your method. How do you like it? Are you interested in this? Are they? They are all strong young bandits, the kind who can do hard physical labor for at least ten years."

The middle-aged businessman seemed to have reacquainted himself with the young man in front of him, and then realized his identity.

"For this matter, it would be more appropriate for you to contact Bontorisa of the Golden Sickle. Their chamber of commerce is responsible for debtor transactions in the town, as well as large areas of farm work outside the town."

"For immediate matters, of course you should go to the person in front of you. You can act as an intermediary and take some profits."

"Okay, I'll have someone come to your place tomorrow to bring people in. What's the price? We'll have to look at the physical condition of the thieves when we get there to determine the price."

"Guaranteed not to let you lose money."

Keir smiled and raised his glass, signaling for a clink.

So ale and cider, wooden goblets and silver goblets clashed together.

The deal was settled and the drinks were naturally drank.

At this moment, Keir felt that the fragrance of the spring flowers seemed to be sweet but also tinged with blood.

Sniff, no, it was indeed the smell of blood, not his brain's memory association.

Following the smell, looking to the south from the fortress-like main building of the banquet restaurant, beyond a sea of ​​flowers more than ten meters wide, there is a masonry wall several meters high.

Behind the wall, there was the faint sound of noisy people, and a familiar tomb-style building.

At the same time, the smell of blood was coming from that direction.

Keir raised his hand curiously and pointed in that direction and asked: "Mr. Deripari, what is that building for?"

The middle-aged businessman turned around and frowned and said, "Oh, there, that's just a place where some scumbags brutally vent their violence. At the same time, it's also part of a huge step to squeeze out every bit of money they have."

Keir didn't understand: "Can you make it clearer? I didn't understand."

"To put it simply, it is a terrible place where fighting beasts, ferocious beasts, humanoid monsters, debt-ridden humans, and fighting beasts are mixed together. A large number of poor people gamble there every three days, betting on the winning or losing of the games on the field, and then in After competing and betting again and again at night, the vast majority of people will lose the last iron coin that belongs to them in the excitement of crazy violence and gambling.”

Mr. 'Dry Ollier' waved to the waiter who was paying attention not far away to come over and fill their drinks.

"Only a small number of guys who have been glanced at by the goddess of luck can get no more than a dozen times the coin harvest. And the largest part of the coins will be pocketed by the bankers, encouraging those empty-bag guys to get old early tomorrow morning. Honest hard work.”

Kil took a sip of the full ale, using the glass to block his smile from interest.

"Sounds very efficient."

"Yes, the poor people like that place very much, and many businessmen will go there for entertainment. But I have only been there a few times in the past few years. The place is too noisy. I am no longer young enough and can't stand people's behavior." There were shouts and hysterical wails and cries. It was ridiculous, the gamblers shouted louder every time than the people who got slashed in the fight."

Kiel teased: "Perhaps, the people who were slashed only shed blood, but the gamblers also shed the money in their wallets!"

Mr. 'Fuck Ollier' was obviously amused: "Haha, if you say that, then I will probably shout very loudly!"

The two chatted and laughed, and the topic turned back to new things.

"Have you ever heard of the leader of a bandit gang on the western trade road who calls himself Mountain Wolf?"

Kiir only said this softly, but Mr. Deripari's face became serious when he heard this.

"I didn't hear you clearly, Knight Kiel, could you say it again?"

"Western trade route, mountain wolf Barney, leader of bandits."

Kil said affirmatively.

He saw that the middle-aged businessman became nervous at this time: "What's wrong with this damn guy? It's not what I thought, is it? Knight Kiel?"

The other party's eyes soon brightened up. Kil nodded and confirmed the other party's suspicion: "Yes, I wiped out this bandit gang. Barney the mountain wolf has been killed by me."

"Great job! Good young man, oh, sorry, Knight Kil, you really did a good thing for our town of Dorne! Wait until tomorrow, the big and small chambers of commerce in the town, every chamber of commerce will definitely spread the praise your name!"

Seeing that the other person was agitated, Keir pressed his hand to signal the other person to calm down.

"Ha, do you think I'm too excited? You don't know, this damn guy is the most cunning vampire fox on the trade route to the Western Province from the west! He lies on top of us merchants, using His cunning mind sucked our spirit, our blood, and of course many lives."

Keir didn't know whether to laugh or cry. He didn't dare to be interested in this. He was just a passerby and he didn't want to develop here. The gratitude and respect of the locals had no effect on him.

"I mean, Mr. Deripari, I mean, does this vampire fox you call Barney the Mountain Wolf have a bounty on him? On himself or on the gang of robbers."

"What are you thinking, Knight Kiel? Of course there is! He is now listed on the joint bounty wanted board of the Chamber of Commerce, and he is ranked second. Including but not limited to the bounty jointly initiated by the Chamber of Commerce, and several of our There are bounties issued by large chambers of commerce alone, as well as a large number of bounties placed by small and medium-sized chambers of commerce after they lost their caravan goods, as well as bounties added by countless relatives of poor people who were harmed by that guy."

Keir's eyes lit up and he asked hurriedly: "How many are there?"

"Oh, young man, no one knows about this problem. The wanted poster for his arrest is as thick as a palm. No one has ever calculated how much bounty he has, but I can be sure that it is not at least this amount. .”

The middle-aged businessman gestured with an open palm and then waved it twice.

"Twenty-five gold coins?"

"No no no."

The other party picked up his open palm and said, "Five."

Shake it a bit: "Add a zero."

Shake it again: "Add another zero."

"Five hundred gold coins?" Keir shouted.

His shout immediately attracted the attention of many people at the banquet, but others saw that Knight Kiel was talking to Mr. Dripari alone on the terrace, so everyone was just curious about what could involve five hundred gold coins. Big list.

Faced with Knight Kiel's guess, the middle-aged businessman nodded affirmatively: "It is this number, but it is only a rough possibility. It will only be more, not less. You have to know, because of this guy, starting many years ago, he has harmed How many people have been killed, how many transactions have been ruined, and countless chambers of commerce have lost a lot of money."

Kiel took a deep breath, calmed down, and then asked cautiously in a vibrato voice: "So, have you ever heard of the name 'King of White Walls'?"

The middle-aged businessman’s eyes widened and he swayed so much that he even had to rely on the terrace rock fence to keep himself standing.

"No way! Tell me it's not true!"

Keir nodded: "I can only say that this guy and his people almost killed me. But."

He stretched out his hand and gestured up and down: "Now that I am standing here, the 'King of White Walls' can only be buried in the soil."

"Did you kill that guy?"

"What, can't you kill me yet?"

Kil frowned, feeling something was wrong, and placed his left hand faintly on the weighted ball on the hilt of the hunting sword.

"No, no, no, good kill, good kill, but, young man, you are in big trouble."

Kil raised his eyebrows and asked doubtfully: "What trouble can there be in killing the bandit? Are you loyal to him?"

"How can it be."

Mr. Deripari couldn't laugh or cry: "How can you be loyal to such a nobleman who has faded away?"

Kil came back to his senses and realized something.