Mercenaries and Adventurers

Kiel made his way through the growing quiet of the camp.

Because he was wearing thick iron armor and opened the helmet visor. Therefore, the patrol team encountered on the road did not stop him from passing through the camp. The previous "boxing ring" at least gave Kiel some name in the team.

People with good deeds nicknamed Kiel "River Pearl Stone". It seems very strange, but Keel only found out after asking Crow Knight that the small pebbles washed out of the river by the Kendal people are called river bead stones. It means a small, slippery and hard stone core.

It probably means that Kiel is young and capable of playing, just like the smallest stone in the river. It looks like nothing, but it is actually much stronger than ordinary pebbles.

However, some people who hated Keir gave him another nickname: "upside down grass", satirizing that Keir was overturned to the ground with one hand by the same young priest. It's just that this nickname is only called by a small number of people in private.

He didn't dare to talk nonsense outside, after all, no matter how you look at it, Keir is a popular man under Knight Crowe. Everyone is neither stupid nor blind, and it can be seen that Knight Crowe values ​​Keel, a young man.

Some people spread rumors, saying that several fake businessmen who were caught outside the Bingyu Pass and wanted to assassinate them were all executed by Kiel and then by the Kendall River.

This news has not been confirmed, so it is not widely spread.

At the gate of the camp, two knights were already waiting here. Of course, it is impossible for the knights to be waiting for Kiel, and Kiel also knows himself. After walking over, the two super knights saluted silently, and then stood silently behind Knight Crowe.

But while waiting for Baron Kendall to change his clothes, the two knights turned around and looked at the new armor that Kiel had put on for the first time recently.

"It doesn't look like the work of any armor master in Organ Castle?" Knight Rumi looked at the armor pattern on Kiel's body and compared it with the armors used by ordinary people in his memory, but they were all different.

Knight Crowe stroked his neatly trimmed beard and said cheerfully, "Haha, you will never guess it. This armor is the latest work of our armor craftsmen in Kendall City!"

Knight Rumi opened his eyes wide. After all, Kendall City has never had a master craftsman who can make iron armor before, and seeing what Kiel is wearing, it is tightly wrapped. It is obviously not something that ordinary craftsmen can make. .

"You know? Tell me about it in detail."

As a knight, Rumi Knight is naturally more interested in such topics.

So Knight Crowe talked about how Baron Kendall saved a master armor craftsman who caused trouble before, and settled him in the craftsman district in the city. Then it was said that the baron asked the church priests in the artisan district to select a young and potential apprentice to learn from that teacher.

Sure enough, it didn't take long for the apprentice named Ganna to show his original leather armor at last year's Harvest Festival celebration, officially becoming an armor craftsman.

I didn't expect it to be more than that. After a winter's preparation, the other party actually built such a full-coverage armor with complicated parts and decent defense for Kiel.

"Speaking of which, although the young man Ganna can also make ordinary leather armor, it seems that the full-coverage works are better."

Knight Crowe was a little puzzled.

"Is it the one Kiel used to wear before?" Rumi Knight guessed.

"Ah, yes, that's the one. Keel, you know that Gunner very well, don't you?"

Knight Crowe asked Keel.

Kiel couldn't help touching his nose: "Hey, let me tell you two knights, the idea of ​​full-coverage armor was mainly proposed by me."

"oh?"

"oh?"

Both of them uttered confused questions in unison.

Kiel explained: "The main reason is that when I hunted monsters before, I was alone, and there was no one else to take care of me, so I wanted to think of a way to wear armor. Improve the defense of various details to prevent myself from being injured because of fighting. The small accidents were taken care of by monsters. So when I asked Ganna craftsman to make armor for me, I specially designed the armor that can cover the whole body. I didn’t expect him to make it.”

The two nodded: "It can definitely be made. After all, there is not much difference between ordinary leather armor and armor that is tightly covered, but there are more body parts that need to be covered."

Knight Crowe continued: "When I ordered the leather armor worn by the guards in the provincial capital, I specifically asked the large workshop that made the armor to learn a lot."

He called a guard who was standing guard at the gate of the camp, and then pointed to the armor the guard was wearing at this time and explained: "Every part of the armor worn by the guards has been calculated. After all, the number of dozens of sets of armor, every time you add A part, although it will increase the defense of the guards, but the overall price will have a large part of the increase."

"And with each additional component, the possibility of repair damage will increase, and the cost of repair after damage will also increase a lot. When there were no professional armor craftsmen in Kendall City, it was the baron who went to the province every winter to I brought it with me when I was working in the organ castle in the capital, went to find someone to repair it, and then let the caravan bring it back."

The Rumi knight nodded aside: "That's right, the guards wear armor all day, and it's training and daily wear and tear. Armor always wears out."

The guard who was used as an example scratched his head in embarrassment, and interjected a little cautiously: "Everyone cherishes the armor they wear."

Knight Crowe rolled his eyes: "Yes, yes, you cherish it very much. I still remember that when the armor was first distributed to you, there was a guy who slept with his armor at night and drove his wife out of bed."

"It's not me. I didn't do that. I hired someone to make an armor shelf at home. I took off the armor and put it on the armor shelf every day when I got home. I also spent my own money to buy some grease, and put it on every day. Go brush your armor!"

The guard spoke plausibly. Everyone looked at his armor carefully. Sure enough, it was shiny and well-maintained than other guards.

Knight Crowe encouraged the guard and asked him to return to his post, and then told Knight Rumi how he had arguing with the master armor craftsmen who made the armor to choose the guard armor.

Only then did Kiel learn something about armor.

It turned out that the armor worn by the knights in battle was made by the master craftsmen in the provincial capital, Organ Castle.

Although he had never seen those people, Keel guessed that those master craftsmen were either big and thick, strong enough to lift a man with one hand, or they were as strong as the craftsman priest who reforged his long sword to hunt and kill, and could use the gods bestowed by the gods. Divine power assists in making weapons and equipment.

As he spoke, Baron Kendall walked over surrounded by his attendants and personal guards.

"Ah, you two have been waiting for a long time. When I came out, my wife persuaded me to bring a dress other than military uniform. This time it really came in handy!" The baron was in high spirits. He was getting a little tired of being the same in the army.

Today happened to be invited by a local knight lord whom he knew well, so he couldn't wait to change into the dress he didn't want to wear, and followed his friends to the appointment with high spirits.

Logically speaking, he and the two knights should not have left the camp to attend the appointment. After all, if something happens in the camp and the army is unmanned, it will be easily defeated overnight.

But Knight Crowe was brave and careful, knowing that the place where the army was stationed was very close to the manor of the knight who invited them, and it was a place that could be seen by sight. If something really happened, he or Knight Rumi only needed to run and jump vigorously, and he would be able to get over it in a very short time.

So it's okay tonight.

Moreover, Baron Kendall is very familiar with the local knight lord who invited them, Knight Gurov. Even Baron Kendall's father had known the elderly knight for more than ten years.

So at this moment, the three of them were invited to the manor for a banquet.

It is said to be a banquet, but it is actually just an overnight entertainment. After all, their army will not be repaired locally, and they will set off tomorrow morning.

-

Because the camp was very close to the manor, no one rode a horse. The baron brought all his attendants, and also brought three personal guards to guard him as a basic aristocratic ostentation.

As for the two knights, Knight Rumi was alone, wearing a 'thin' armor that would not be used on the battlefield for their knights, and did not wear the proper metal helmets on their heads. The brown wide-brimmed wool felt hat from here is decorated with the tail feathers of a blue-tailed sparrow, which is quite playful.

Knight Crowe is much more rigid. Although he also wears 'light' armor, he wears a helmet, which is only hung on the belt around his waist.

Kiel took a look, took off the helmet, and put it on his waist.

He followed the knight, and the knight followed the baron.

After a little distance from the camp, the lighting fire at the gate of the camp can no longer take care of them.

Although there is a dry dirt road under the feet, there are empty wheat fields on both sides.

The baron saw the darkness around him and rubbed a ring on his finger.

The surface of the ring was inlaid with milky white crystal gems. After rubbing it with his fingers, a white light ball the size of a grape shot out from the surface of the ring.

Although the light cluster is small, its brightness is far brighter than ten grease candles. In an instant, the surrounding ground of tens of meters was illuminated.

Kiel stared wide-eyed at the bright ball of light suspended above the baron's head. He couldn't stand it after staring for a while, so he had to blink hard and move his gaze elsewhere.

I didn't expect the baron to be able to do this, but I don't know if this thing is a priest's method of believing in the gods, or a legendary magician's method.

After walking for a while, several male servants hurried over from the direction of the manor.

They fearfully glanced at the glowing white ball above the baron's head, then put the torch aside, gave a very formal salute to the baron, and then gave a more formal salute to the two knights.

Then he whispered something to the baron's attendants, and the attendants then informed the baron of their intentions.

"Lead the way? Let's go then."

After the baron finished speaking, he walked towards the manor which was getting closer and closer under the guidance of the servants of the local knights.

-

Gradually approaching the manor, the baron had obviously been here before, and he spoke to the two knights behind him about the situation here.

"The manor is old Gurov's retirement home. He usually doesn't live in the town, it's too noisy for him. Even if he's lived there for half his life."

said the Baron.

"I have been here twice before, once when I was young, my father took me to visit here. At that time, the ground was just broken, and our family provided the architectural design of the manor for Knight Gurov!"

Having said that, the baron is obviously more proud.

"Then I came again with my son. At that time, Gurov was called Old Gurov. He left the affairs of the town to his sons and daughters to rule, and he has been here ever since. Waiting for his eldest son who was expected to return from a long journey.”

The two knights looked at each other: "Is his son back?"

The baron opened his hands: "Oh, no. Because his eldest son found another nobleman in the eastern part of the kingdom to join him, and he is also a knight lord at this time. And there are more people and more prosperous territories. Haha."

All three laughed.

Listening to these few talking about the master, the servants leading the way walked a few steps quickly in embarrassment, pretending that they didn't hear.

They all knew that the old master had lost his temper countless times because of this. I heard that the old master wrote many times begging the young master to go home and inherit the territory and responsibilities, but every time the young master wrote back, the old master would be furious.

A servant who took care of the old knight personally once said in a whisper that the young master actually sent the old master to live with him in the letter.

As a territory, Pine Needle Town was handed over to the local baron, and other wandering knights were selected to govern.

The other children of the old master were mad at this.

Then on the road, Baron Kendall talked about a local delicacy in Pine Needle Town. He heard that it was stuffed with ground pine nuts next to the town and stuffed into the stomach of poultry. It tasted very delicious.

There may be similar practices in other places, but here, pine needles are used as fuel for the flame. The food produced in this way is full of the fragrance of pine from the inside to the outside, and the poultry is full of the smell of pine oil.

very unique.

The manor will be here soon.

At the gate of the manor, the old Gurov knight that people called was not as old as people said. He stood upright, and after the baron walked in, he walked quickly to the baron to salute.

And the baron also personally returned a courtesy dedicated to the old nobleman.

This kind of etiquette is generally the unique return etiquette of upper-ranking nobles to lower-ranking nobles who are far younger than themselves.

Kiel also gave the old knight a warrior etiquette taught by Knight Crow from behind. Especially suitable for this kind of cast when wearing armor.

After exchanging greetings for a while, the old knight's sons and daughters who remained by his side also saluted the three of them. The baron just nodded, then stepped forward to hold the old knight's hand, and the two walked into the manor while talking.

The two knights simply returned a salute, and Kiel formally saluted the sons and daughters of the old knight behind the two knights.

It seems troublesome, but Keir is actually the easiest. When someone gestures to him, he just returns the gift and it's over.

And don't think too much about it.

"Mr. Ken, look, the trees in the manor are taller than the house!"

The baron talked to the old knight, and then talked about the changes in the manor. For the baron, he has been here a few times, and each time it has changed a lot, but for Knight Ken Gurov, although there have been many changes here, he has lived here for many years, but no one has ever lived here. Tell him about change.

It reminded him of how many years passed by, and he could not stop talking to Lord Kendal.

The others followed behind the two, and there were not many topics to talk about. Only a younger son of the old knight told the two knights about their trip to lead the army.

The old knight's manor is very large, excluding the surrounding fields and forest ponds, the manor itself is almost the same size as Kendall.

Not only the old knight's family lived here, but also related servant families and ordinary people attached to this place.

Basically, it is no different from a small village with complete facilities.

It's just that it serves more as the center of the old knight family.

The entire manor is oval in shape, surrounded by a two-meter-high mud wall. Inside, ordinary residents live around the wall, followed by servants, and in the center is the house of the old knight and his sons and daughters. detached house.

Although his sons and daughters all live more in Pine Needle Town.

Compared to the town, this place is like an old guy like their father, stubborn and unchanging.

The manor designed by Baron Kendall's father for the old knight has been well preserved after so many years.

The ellipsoidal manor has circles of trees for shade and shade, which prevents the old knight living in the center of the manor from seeing the fields and houses outside the manor. The periphery of the entire manor ground is a hard ground that has been reinforced with rammed earth. Some places to maintain the manor facilities are arranged in the outermost circle. After the servants live under the shade of trees, this place becomes interesting.

There are ornamental pools and small racetracks for raising horses here, as well as training grounds surrounded by tall earthen walls.

It's a pity that when passing the training ground, Keir saw that no one had used it for a long time. Even if the training ground was cleaned by the servants, he could still tell the difference between someone using it and someone not using it.

Thinking about it this way, the old knight did not wear armor showing his identity as a knight during this official meeting, nor did he wear a weapon, but a dress. Sure enough, Knight Gurov was indeed old.

Even if he is physically strong, he probably can no longer afford the heavy armor worn by knights, and the old man doesn't like the armor worn by ordinary people at all. So even if he only wears a formal dress, he will not wear the armor of ordinary cavalry.

The old man's attachments are always in these places.

Kiel had seen Knight Lanisa in some nicer cavalry armor. After all, compared to the particularly thick armor for knights, the armor of cavalrymen who are similar to ordinary people is much more normal.

It is also more suitable for the aesthetics of ordinary people.

It's just that the old knight has been a knight all his life, so it is probably impossible for him to wear ordinary people's armor.

-

There are quite a few children of the old knight, plus the companions and children of the adult children, even if not all of them are present at this time, Keel feels that this family is really quite a lot.

The old knight and the baron were having a good time chatting, and the two deliberately walked around the whole manor to watch at night.

Don't worry about not being able to watch this manor at night~www.readwn.com~The glowing white ball on Baron Kendall's head has not dissipated. This thing provides lighting brightness far beyond the oil lamps in the hands of the servants, making the night as bright as day.

The sons and daughters of the old knight asked curiously about the source of this thing, and Baron Kendall generously told others.

He showed off one of the rings on his finger, and told everyone that he could obtain the possibility of making relevant magicians with resources in the noble council.

Similar to this lighting ring, a basic product can be made by a magician with only a few dozen gold coins.

Then the baron strengthened the magic ring with blessings at the Church of the Sun God. Because it involves the concept of direct management of the sun god's clergy, such as lighting, after paying some resources from the church, his lighting ring has changed from a magical creation that needs magic power to a permanent creation that is half magic and half divine. .

Magic shines, divine power supplies energy.

Although there is a limit on the daily duration, as long as the thing is not broken, this thing can be used for a long, long, long time.

"Maybe it can be used as a family heirloom."

Lord Kendal spread his hands and smiled.

But then he said: "Compared to these things, I prefer this manor that has been in use for decades. These exquisite designs are full of my father's ideas and ingenuity."

The old knight Gurov touched his gray beard: "Hehe, not bad, the longer you live here, the more comfortable you will feel living here."

His sons and daughters curled their lips. They, who had lived here since they were young, didn't like this retirement manor designed for their father.

Then everyone passed through the servant area, and after walking across a wooden bridge through dense bushes, they walked into the central area of ​​the manor.