Mercenaries and Adventurers

The glass that Keir wanted was the cider he wanted. The silver wine glass contained a light golden transparent liquid, with only a small amount of fruit pulp sediment at the bottom of the glass. After finishing the drink in the glass in one breath, Kil was shocked. The drink had been specially chilled before, making it extremely cool.

It is not advisable to drink too much at noon, so only one glass of this slightly alcoholic drink was prepared. Keir drank the cider in one gulp, while Mr. Scott just sipped his own drink and motioned for Keel to eat.

Kiel's lunch was a large plate of fried steak on a special plate. Several different types of steak were still sizzling, and the aroma of fat filled the room. Mr. Scott ate much less. Although he complained of hunger before, his appetite was less than one-third of Kiel's.

Keir cut a small piece of mutton, pierced it with a fork, dipped it in the spicy sauce, and then put it into his mouth.

The chef's skills are quite good. The mutton marinated with spices has a strong salty aroma, which just covers the fishy smell of the raw materials. The animal fat on the steak is also fried at the right temperature to create a fragrant aroma. With the help of a variety of spices, it is delicious.

He then cut a piece of beef steak. This piece of beef was a bit thick. It was probably fried first, so it was left in the frying pan for a long time. The water in the steak was not retained, so it was fragrant. , but the taste is much worse.

The best thing was actually a whole piece of freshly killed chicken steak. As soon as Keir tasted it, he could tell that this steak had been beaten with a small hammer before being marinated. In this way, the internal muscle fibers of the steak were interrupted, although it felt lost. The chicken cutlet was a bit soft due to lack of chewiness, but it tasted very delicious, especially with the spicy sauce.

Neither Mr. Keir nor Mr. Scott said anything during the meal. One was really hungry and concentrated on eating, and the other was thinking about what was going to happen next.

Dorne Town is a relatively peaceful and stable supply point for Kiel and his team. Here, the people can relax a little from the tension and exhaustion of being attacked and walking for many days in a row.

At the same time, deceased relatives and friends must also have the opportunity to remember and release their grief.

Keir heard and saw many young people crying secretly last night and this morning. Some people took out the ashes of their friends during their free time. Several people they knew gathered together, holding small bags containing the ashes. , gathered in a circle and talked about their experiences these days.

For Kiel, this place provides the best convenience for him to replenish the team's supplies.

If he didn't encounter a safe and friendly town later, and there was no Dorne town, it would be much more difficult for him to let these hundreds of people find a safe place to settle.

The various robbed goods he and his team carried were also handled very well here, and they were disposed of with barely any satisfaction. There is no need for everyone to carry it on their shoulders, making everyone exhausted on the road.

Later, with the newly added large livestock and second-hand trucks, the supplies of many teams could be easily loaded on the vehicles, and each person only had to carry a small amount of personal belongings. In this way, even the daily walking distance increased.

"Knight Kiel, how was your lunch? I hope the food from our Chamber of Commerce will not disappoint you."

Mr. Scott concluded his meal with a few remaining roots on his ornate plate, as well as fresh spice leaves from native plants for seasoning.

Keir ate all the steaks, and all the sauce was soaked all over the steaks. He picked up the wooden wine glass, drank the last of the ale, and then wiped his mouth before replying.

"It's okay. It would be better if the beef steak could be timed into the frying pan."

"I'll report it to the chef."

After he finished speaking, he pulled the lanyard behind him and asked someone to come in and pack his things.

Keir said hello, walked out, and asked Mr. Scott's men to let the people behind come up to the talking room.

-

By the time Keel arranged the remaining two people to do what they needed to do, it was already the hottest time in the afternoon. Mr. Scott said he was going to take a nap, while Keel said goodbye to the middle-aged businessman. Ask Mr. Scott's men to take him to the place where the Blood Licker Armor is made.

It was still the same horse area that he came to in the morning. When Kil was far away, he saw Bloodlicker shaking his neck to bully other horses in the stable.

Due to his overly strong physique, Blood Licker always gained an advantage in fights with other horses. Until the other horses shrank into the corner of the stable with their heads lowered, this guy held his head high and kept raising his front hooves to kick. The ground seemed to be celebrating another 'conquest' of a stable of horses.

Since the grooms in the stable all knew that this horse was the favorite horse of a young knight, they neither dared to drive it away nor pull it away and tie it up. They could only gather around the stable fence and yell.

As if he knew that these people were scolding him, Lixixuecao rushed to the stable fence several times and bit the groom who spoke about him.

"Run! It's coming!"

"It knows we scold it!"

The grooms dispersed in a hurry and stayed away from the fence, and the blood-licking grass could only angrily bite the wooden fence with its neat and white teeth, chewing up large areas of the wooden fence made of logs.

Not far away, the apprentice craftsmen who had moved in were working enthusiastically while watching this scene with amusement.

"This horse is really lively. He probably bullied other horses before."

"This is a war horse used for fighting. Although it doesn't seem to have been strengthened by any means, it already looks like a knight's war horse."

The two craftsmen were working and discussing the knight's horse.

Kiel came over at this time, and after saying hello, he asked: "This craftsman, do you know anything about horse strengthening methods?"

When the middle-aged craftsman saw that he was the Kiel Knight, he saluted quickly, then rubbed his hands on the leather apron around his waist, and said cautiously: "I have only seen some enhanced horses and heard relevant rumors. , specific things are only qualified to know in your circle of knights."

"It's okay, I'm just listening. You should know that I come from the Northwest Province in the north. This is the first time I've come to this southern province in my life. You should know it considering my age. I don't know many things yet. I understand, maybe it’s not as clear as you know.”

Seeing that Knight Kiel was indeed a young man with a childish face, and his words were not so serious, with a sense of superiority and arrogance of different classes, the middle-aged craftsman put down his caution a little and resumed the work at hand. , and then explain it to Knight Kiel.

"Sir Knight, I only know some simple things. The first is that horses are roughly divided into four categories."

"The first category is the horses used to pull carts and plow the fields, which are the most numerous. Most of them are of poor breed, and those horses whose height, weight and physical strength are not good enough are classified into this category. Of course, some injured horses Excellent horses lose their previous abilities after treatment, and this is the end and result for most of them.”

"The second category is the horses used by cavalry that are generally used for fighting. They are all strong enough to march long distances. Among them, the grassland horses in the western provinces basically all meet this requirement."

At this time, another middle-aged craftsman took over: "So I heard that the conventional military force is the strongest in the Western Province, and the noble lords there can easily summon hundreds of cavalry. But they often fight there, and they always fight with the dwarfs. People fought on the border, and both men and horses died on the battlefield, so not many people know about it. I have been there before and shoed a large number of their cavalry in the fortress. "

Kilman was curious about the battle between humans and dwarves in the Western Province, but he had already heard similar stories from Bloodfangster. He looked at them from the perspective of the trapped caravan guards, and there was no need for war scenes. Hearing it again, he was more curious about what the horse armor craftsman who was a member of the logistics staff, a middle-aged craftsman who had participated in the war, thought about the war there.

Perhaps the other party's story could give him a chance to learn more about the local war.

But that was another matter. The middle-aged craftsman who spoke before took the conversation back.

"The third type of horse is the horse you are riding now, Sir Knight. It is stronger than ordinary grassland horses, and its physical strength, load-bearing capacity, weight, energy, and even aggressive personality and fighting ability are better than ordinary cavalry. The war horses they use. This kind of horse is often used as the choice of heavy cavalry, and it is also an excellent seed for knights to breed war horses. It's not that ordinary horses can't do it, but I heard that it is not easy to strengthen horses, and casualties in this matter There are also many horses. And the cooperative training between knights and horses cannot be completed in a short time."

"So, this kind of qualified and excellent horse can better accept the 'enhancement'?"

Keel asked.

"Yes, Lord Knight. Only war horses that have been strengthened by horses can truly be called the knight's fighting partners. Well, you may have felt it, right? When you wear armor and ride this horse, uh, its name, sir?"

"Bloodweed, a dangerous weed in the Western Province. This is its name." Kiel added.

"Oh, when you were wearing armor and riding this blood-licking grass to fight, you may have felt that compared to yourself, this war horse is the one who needs to be protected the most, right?"

Keir smiled: "Of course, otherwise what would everyone be busy with at this time?"

"Yes Yes."

Everyone who was talking looked at the blood-licking grass. When they saw their master coming, the blood-licking grass also put away its arrogant attitude of bullying everyone they met before. They paced back and forth in the stable obediently, wagging their tails and wagging their tails. Shake his head.

If everyone hadn't seen its fierce appearance before, who would have thought that this well-behaved war horse at this time was the same horse as before.

"War horses that have been strengthened by horses have a stronger body, load-carrying capacity, and the strength and speed to jump and sprint. They are also smarter and can understand the knight's orders and make many battle changes. The most important thing is , they can wear heavier and more comprehensive horse armor, ensuring the survivability of themselves and their knights on the battlefield, and their combat advantage over ordinary soldiers."

Needless to say, ordinary cavalry has a great combat advantage over infantry, and a piece of armor weighs hundreds of kilograms, and the total weight is easily ton. A sprinting steel 'chariot' has a powerful advantage over ordinary infantry. The crushing advantage is natural.

All-round crushing.

Kil has seen the horses of Knight Crow and Knight Lanessa. He sometimes feels that his combat ability is slightly stronger than those of the two knights. Of course, this was when he didn't use any means and was alone without armor.

"So, how did your southern province achieve this enhancement?"

Kiel used tricks. He didn't say that he didn't understand this method of strengthening war horses. He just asked about the method in the southern province.

The middle-aged craftsman who has been introducing this matter obviously knows something about this kind of thing. I don’t know whether he knows it personally or hears it from others.

"Sir, I heard that there are many ways to strengthen, but they are all in the hands of many forces and organizations. A knight I served before, his war horse is a strong seaside horse, which can swim for a long time, and can even wear Crossing the sea with light armor. The gentleman used many kinds of magic medicine to make his war horse very strong, taller, heavier, and stronger. The horse's own hair is even said to be able to resist magic attacks and mysterious Magic attack!"

"Oh! So powerful? Did you use magic potion?"

Kil touched his chin, thought for a moment, and then asked: "What other methods are there? Just say what you heard."

"Oh, sir, I've heard a lot. I heard the knight gentleman casually say that there is a terrible method of 'monsterizing' war horses in the central province, or even 'warcraft-turning'. But apart from this In addition to the terrifying methods and potion methods, I also heard that you can find magicians and ask them to perform mysterious magic to strengthen the horses."

"The church seems to have a solution."

"It doesn't seem like it, but it exists." The middle-aged craftsman next to him suddenly interjected, and he continued: "When I was helping the army in the Western Province, I saw the priests of the God of Animal Husbandry using their methods. Let a war horse selected by a meritorious knight directly become bigger and brighter, becoming a divine horse."

"Oh? There is such a method, but I have never heard of it."

Kil's eyes lit up, but then he thought that he didn't know anyone from the Church of the God of Animal Husbandry, and only knights who had done meritorious deeds could use this method, so he had no choice.

However, he can go back and ask Priest Batar to see if the Church of Saturn has any way to strengthen horses, but he does not have much hope in this. Church of Saturn, the relevant forces are all related to agriculture, even if Those who strengthen horses are probably also strengthening the horses, such as increasing their physical strength, or increasing their strength or something.

It is difficult to create a powerful knight's war horse in a balanced way with just such reinforcement.

It’s not just about being strong, you also have to have physical strength to keep up with it, you have to have enough physical strength, and you have to be able to do it at a good speed. At the same time, the strength of the body is also an important part. Otherwise, the horse cannot wear the heavy armor and the protection is not improved, it will be easily injured and died, and it will not be able to match the knight and become a key factor in dominating the battlefield.

Of course, Kil doesn't think he can make a fat man in one go. He has a letter of recommendation written by Knight Lanisa in his hand. He can go to Organ Castle, the capital of the Northwest Province, and directly find someone to help him strengthen his war horse.

It's just that water from afar can't quench the thirst for nearness. In this war, it is estimated that the blood-licking grass will not be able to transform into a qualified knight's war horse.

Of course, he himself is not a qualified new knight-level warrior. It is enough for him to team up with his horse to deal with the current situation.

After talking for a while, Kil stopped disturbing the work of the craftsmen. He briefly checked the horse armor that was being produced, and felt that the current progress could probably produce it tomorrow, so he rode out [Burning]. Furnace] Chamber of Commerce, return to the open space south of the town.

-

"The Lord Knight is back!"

As soon as Kil returned, he saw various materials piled up in the middle of the open space, as well as new tents erected around the open space.

"How about it? These supplies are all cheap goods that I bought at low prices in the town of Dorne. Although some of them are second-hand goods, the merchants who sell them don't want to cause trouble, so they probably won't bother me with some junk goods. .”

Mr. Barfoot was leading people to work around the newly arrived supplies. After hearing what Keel said, he came over and said, "Towards noon, many carriages transporting goods gradually arrived. As soon as these people arrived, When they saw our people approaching, they unloaded the goods directly on the ground. Everyone was shocked at first, but when the guards went up to ask, they found out that the goods were purchased by you, the knight, in the town."

"Even when I asked where they bought things from, those people didn't answer. They just unloaded the goods. After unloading the things, they took inventory, got in the car and left. It's really strange. "

Seeing the strange look on Mr. Barfoot's face, Keir smiled and said: "It's quite strange, but there are people of all kinds in the world. There are more strange people, and of course there are more strange chambers of commerce. There are too many strange chambers of commerce, No matter how strange things are, they are no longer strange.”

"It's quite convoluted."

"But no matter how strange everything in the world is, it always appears, right? There are reasons for it, no need to delve into it."

Keir shrugged and asked Mr. Barfoot to continue counting the supplies. Some things that could be used directly, such as iron pots and other tools, were distributed directly so that everyone could use them directly.

The newly purchased donkey must also be taken care of by someone, and at the same time, it will take over the previous work of Kiel and Bloodyost's horses and free up their horses. Bloodyost's prairie horse can continue to be ridden by Priest Batar, while one of the two horses Kiel brought from the Northwest Province will continue to help him pull the cart, and the other he has ridden on an eagle before. The body is so strange that it can be ridden by Bloody Fangster.

As for his carriage, Kiel arranged for his armed people to choose the one who seemed the most reliable to drive his carriage on the subsequent journey.

When Kil found Priest Batal in the middle of the camp, the priest had a gloomy expression on his face, sitting by the campfire and staring at the amulet statue in his hand in a daze. Bloody Fangster leaned on the carriage nearby and shrugged at Kil, who was approaching, indicating that he did not understand the priest's current situation.

"How is it? Has the communication with the great God of Agriculture produced any results?"

Keir lifted his cloak and sat on a small folding wooden chair next to the campfire. This chair he bought at a market in a certain town on his way south.

Priest Batar sighed and glanced at the Kiel warrior.

Speak slowly.