Arcane splendor begins with the throne

Chapter 5 Mercenaries and Scholars

The 'Steel Hammer' tavern was dark and stuffy, filled with the smell of tobacco, wine and baked food, the flames in the fireplace were crackling and jumping, and the crimson fire reflected a figure standing by the wine table like a burly man. giant.

Brian followed the sound and saw a strong man wearing a dark gray mink hat stretching out his big bear-paw-like hands to greet him. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a big black beard.

Morris, a wandering mercenary, Brian recognized each other's identity.

A year ago, he and the mercenary met in Thrane, the kingdom of dwarves, and they worked together to hunt and kill a petrified lizard.

What left the deepest impression on him was that this mercenary, whose stature matched his strength, hugged the petrified lizard's thick and strong tail, and threw it on all fours, establishing an uninjured victory for their hunting. A pleasant cooperation.

"Haha, it's really you, half-elf Bryan! My friend." A pair of cheerful thick eyebrows and big eyes appeared under the hat, "What a surprise! You are also here to join the army, right?"

"Joining the army? What happened, Maurice? I plan to rest here one night and prepare to cross the river tomorrow."

Brian walked to the table, only then did he notice that the other party was not the only one here, he nodded to the very gentle stranger sitting next to him, ignored the stranger's return greeting, and took the initiative to pull out a chair and sat down go up.

"Are you a knight?" Just as Brian took his seat, a childish voice came from behind, successfully interrupting the next conversation between the two.

Brian looked back curiously and found a boy with a sniffling nose looking at him with big eyes as blue as the sky. The little guy was wearing an oversized velvet hat, and the side of the hat was playfully decorated with a bright stick. Pheasant feathers.

"No." Brian blurted out subconsciously, "I'm not a knight."

Even he himself was a little surprised that he would have the leisure to answer a child's question.

"But you have a sword! My father is a knight of King West, and he also has a sword, and it's bigger than yours." The little slug looked at Brian's saber and said reluctantly.

"Hey! Your dad still has two eyes." The wandering mercenary Morris stared at his big eyes and said with a smirk: "Look, I also have two eyes. Does this mean that I may also be your dad?"

"My dad..." The little slug opened his mouth in surprise. The gap between his baby teeth was astonishingly large. He retorted loudly: "My dad is a knight of King West! His beard is longer than yours!"

The slug's cap slipped off due to excitement, covering his eyes, and his funny appearance made people laugh.

"Shut up, be careful of flies flying into your mouth, and then get out of my way! You little gray-haired idiot." The wandering mercenary was stunned for a while, and he deliberately showed a fierce look at the little boy , threatened.

"My dad..." The brave little slug turned a blind eye to it, and even Brian, who was on the side, secretly praised him for his courage at such a young age.

"Fuck off, you snotty brat! Otherwise, I will swell your ass, damn it! Whose bastard is this, so don't come and take care of it." The impatient wandering mercenary picked up his hands on the table The big sword pointed viciously at the little boy and roared.

This caused the drinkers to cast disdainful glances.

"Your sword is so ugly. My dad is a knight. His sword is much more beautiful than yours. You will never be a knight because you look like a big grumpy bear!" The little slug dropped In a word, fleeing in a hurry, the speed is fast.

"What a bummer, all the good mood was ruined." Morris, the wandering mercenary, took a sip of wine, wiped his beard, and said angrily.

After speaking, he stood up and filled a glass of bubbling dark beer for Brian.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" Brian didn't move, but turned his gaze to the stranger on his left. He remained very calm from the beginning to the end.

This is a young man with a gentle appearance. He is wearing a black shawl, the upper end is gathered and fixed around the neck, and his thick brown curly hair hangs around the shawl.

When Brian looked at the stranger, he nodded slightly, his gray-blue eyes seemed to be forever smiling.

"I've heard of you, Brian of Tigrila." The stranger raised his glass to greet him with a smile, his gestures were elegant, and he introduced himself: "My name is Komon, and I come from Flo, the southernmost part of the mainland. Kingdom of Renza."

"That's far enough away," agreed Brian, staring at the glass, before tossing a piece of sawdust in the hops to the cat by the fireplace, who opened its eyes and took a sniff, looking reproachfully at the half-elf.

"I am a scholar who likes to travel to the mainland. Compared with the obscure books in the library, I am more yearning for adventures around the world." After the scholar Ke Meng politely introduced, he looked at the dwarf boss at the counter and ordered :

"Boss, first have a ready-made smoked cod and a jug of the best wine, hurry up! Also, while we are drinking, please help my friend with a trout soup. Remember, you must Live trout from the Grimre River. My dear friend must be hungry after a day's drive and rain, and he needs this fresh fish soup badly."

The dwarf boss raised his head and glared at the scholar, then looked at Brian's back, and muttered in his heart, 'It's better to drink until you choke to death', and then immediately followed suit.

Faced with such an understanding scholar, Brian looked at the wandering mercenary Morris on the right in confusion.

The mercenary chuckled, shrugged his broad shoulders, and showed an innocent expression.

Although Brian didn't ask anything, he could tell from the mercenary's expression that the other party seemed to be led by a young scholar.

This is understandable, after all, the other party is a mercenary.

Brian silently drank the beer in the glass, the pungent liquid flowed down his throat into his stomach, and a burst of hot air rose up.

The taste of the dark beer has not changed, but it is a pity that the taste of ten years ago can no longer be found, he said with emotion in his heart.

"Mr. Bryan, please forgive my presumptuous assertion. I wonder if my arrangement is satisfactory?" the scholar Ke Meng looked at the half-elf and said apologetically.

"You don't have to feel guilty about this, Bachelor Komon. I am very satisfied with your arrangement. After all, this is already the most extravagant consumption in the tavern." Brian replied with a smile, but he was thinking about this strange young scholar. what purpose.

"That's good." The scholar's expression seemed to be relieved, and he said familiarly: "I heard Morris mention you, you are not only a monster hunter and a master of swordsmanship, but also a mysterious The knowledgeable curse-breaking master, I want to ask for advice..."

"Please forgive my impoliteness, young and knowledgeable Mr. Comon." Brian interrupted the scholar and said, "Compared to unpredictable arcane knowledge, right now, I am most interested in joining the army. "

After he finished speaking, he looked at the wandering mercenaries who were acting as melon-eaters.

"It's okay, we have plenty of time." Scholar Ke Meng first showed a disappointed expression, and then smiled: "Look, I smell the smell of smoked cod and mellow wine, Morris, please tell Mr. Brian the details Tell me something about joining the army."

"It's my pleasure, my generous employer." The wandering mercenary smiled, took the initiative to take the smoked cod and wine handed over by the dwarf boss, and muttered:

"Damn Hazon! He must have had too much to drink when he was smoking the cod. I bet the smoked grayling tastes very salty."

(End of this chapter)