Mercenaries and Adventurers

The young Ika knight took the initiative to approach and salute Baron Kendall, and proudly reported his family.

Baron Kendall nodded politely for confirmation, and after a few casual compliments, he took the initiative to ask the Ika knights stationed at the checkpoint here about the customs clearance of the caravan.

"My lord, I'm not too clear about this situation. I'll have to ask my deputy, the one in charge of taxation, later."

Although Knight Ika didn't like Knight Crowe, who voluntarily left the Knights of the Kingdom, he respected Baron Kendall for being so elite.

"Okay, please call over to have a look. Of course, if the knights of the Ika family can see that our trip is to assist the actions of the border nobles in the southern provinces, and reduce the tax for this border crossing, I believe I will be here. When we reach the south, we will publicize the noble deeds of the Ika family to more nobles and knights."

The baron was very polite. After all, he took the initiative to bring those caravans up, and he also expressed that he would provide asylum along the way. It is not impossible to pay taxes on your own initiative.

But he himself is only willing to give that tax money to people he recognizes and knows, such as the former Porta Knight and the like. For this young knight, he was not willing to pay the money, and would rather speak softly.

"You are welcome. Our Ika family has always been famous in the western provinces for its loyalty and martial arts. Come, please invite Mr. Podris, who has been in charge of customs duties. There is important work here."

His subordinates immediately strode towards the shop near the gate of the Angry South Pass.

Interestingly, the style of these shops is roughly the same as the architectural style of Wrathful Nanguan, and they are all built with crude earth and wood.

The heavy mud bricks are mixed with a kind of tough weeds nearby, and there is also a kind of sun-dried vines everywhere, so although they are just simple mud bricks made of sun-dried and baked mud, they are very strong.

The building is large and spacious, but the storey height is not high. The windows on the walls are fastened with tough shaved animal skins, and the animal skins are dyed with colored petal pigments. The style is simple and crude, but not ugly.

When Baron Kendall saw the architectural style of Nanguan, he was very novel and interesting, so he talked with the young Ika knight about the customs and customs of the western province of the kingdom.

It's just that the young knight is not talkative, and he has limited knowledge, so he can't say anything, which makes Baron Kendall feel sorry.

"My lord, please don't feel sorry. I think I have lived in our land for many years, and I have traveled all over the western province. Please let me answer your doubts."

At this time, a middle-aged man came over, and while saluting Baron Kendall, he spoke confidently.

"Mr. Podris, it's just right for you to come. This lord has a lot of questions that cannot be answered. Before coming with the military caravan, please show the story of our land to this lord!"

The Ika knight was overjoyed, and immediately led the middle-aged man over, jumped off his horse, then grabbed the middle-aged man's belt, lifted it up and put it on the back of his horse.

Facing the master's actions, the Ika knight's war horse turned its mouth indifferently, and bumped its master with its head.

"Haha, please don't be surprised, my lord, Ika Knight is just like that, with such a personality."

After explaining, this Podris began to answer the doubts that Baron Kendall had raised before. He mostly answered Baron Kendall's questions with his own experience and insights. For example, why most of the buildings here use mud to build houses instead of simply using wood or excavated rocks.

Podolis started with the imperial migrants who migrated to the western provinces of the kingdom, and also covered the lack of mountains in the local area.

-

On the other side, the Ika knight curiously came to the Kendall militiamen sitting on the ground, and asked curiously about the state of Kendall County amidst the stiff feeling of the militiamen.

Kiel, on the other hand, walked through the Angry North Pass next to the military caravan at the end of the logistics carriage.

On the level built with large rocks, there are some ballista forts with canopies, which are placed at the highest point of the level. And as far as he could see, those crossbow forts were not facing the Angry South Pass, but were facing the north of the pass, aiming at the villages and towns that spontaneously appeared in front of the pass.

It seems that for the rulers, what they need to pay attention to is the merchant caravans.

Passing through the open gate of the checkpoint, Kiel saw the huge stone bridge connecting the north and south of the Angry River.

This stone bridge is 70 to 80 meters long. What is amazing is that there is no pier support in the middle, and the entire slightly arched bridge body is supported entirely by the north and south sides of the bridge body.

The bridge deck is the same, the side connecting the river bank is the widest, but the more it extends to the river, the more the bridge body tightens and narrows. But even so, at the center of the entire stone bridge, Kilby simply measured it, and it is convenient to walk two largest and most spacious carts at the same time.

Under the stone bridge is a height of 20 to 30 meters from the river surface, and the river bank is not a gentle slope, but a steep rock wall. Simply relying on ordinary people to pass through here, it is estimated that before this stone bridge, Basically impossible.

If something like a rope suspension bridge is used, it is possible to build a wooden suspension bridge for one person to walk at a time, but it is still useless. The Angry River still naturally separates the two provinces in the northwest and west.

This doesn't seem to be a problem for the strong and strong, but for ordinary people, it is a place that is completely difficult to pass.

Keel noticed that there were man-made stairs and gentle slopes on the rock wall near Beiguan, and there was a small stone pier on the river bank near the river, on which there were still a few small boats without sails or oars. wooden boat.

He didn't see the purpose of those wooden boats at first, but he quickly thought of the big frogs raised in front of the checkpoint. It is estimated that those frogs were just used in it.

At the same time, Keel also saw animal statues carved in stone on the fence of the stone bridge.

He rode over to look at it, and found that the animals near the river bank were some common animals, but the closer he walked to the center of the stone bridge, the more strange the animals on the fence became.

It wasn't until Keel saw a familiar head on a sculpture that he remembered that this thing was the first monster head on his two-handed ax with the head of the water.

"Is it a water ghost?"

He didn't know why the appearance of the water ghost was carved on such an important bridge fence.

Is it a local custom? Still have other intentions.

Considering that there are various supernatural powers here, Kiel thinks it is probably the latter. After all, even the statues of gods, the church does not allow the people to make their own worship, let alone the stone statues of monsters.

Are they not afraid of the pedestrians and businessmen who come and go every day praying to these stone statues? Then produce some bad changes?

Unbeknownst to Kiel, the sculptures on this important stone bridge serve a completely opposite purpose. If he can stay and rest for a few days in the local area, he will definitely know from some shop owners living in the local area that he is angry at the Nanbei Pass, not only is he rarely attacked by monsters, even there are sculptures of common animals left on the stone bridge. , don't like to get close there.

The domestic animals kept in the corral, if the gate of the corral is not closed, those small animals will immediately escape here, not to go to the wild to seek freedom, but they are simply unwilling to approach this huge stone bridge that brings wealth to mankind .

-

When Kiel followed the large caravan accompanying the army through the stone bridge to the Angry South Pass, Podris, who had been talking to Baron Kendall politely and respectfully, narrowed his eyes and stared closely at the large caravan.

Regardless of the actual value of the goods, even if he simply considered the size of the caravan, he knew that this was not a small amount of money.

With a smile on his face, Mr. Podris inadvertently added a sentence at the end of the conversation: "I don't know how much customs you paid at the Porta Knight in Beiguan just now, my lord?"

And Baron Kendall, who seemed to be asking questions and writing something in his diary, was not led into the ditch by the other party's casual question.

He took the words calmly: "What are you talking about? When the Porta knight heard that I was going to lead a team to the south to support the border disputes during the conversation, he was very emotional and wished to join us. Although the duty He was alive and unable to leave the place, but he exempted the caravans that supplied my army from customs duties."

"You can ask these soldiers and businessmen. After Knight Porta sent someone to check the clearance information, he immediately reprimanded his old clerk: 'How can you take the tax money of such an army that is worrying for the country?', I I insisted on giving him a sum of money so that he would not be in a dilemma between responsibility and emotion. But he finally exempted me from the money."

"Hey, what a noble and noble knight, not only is he dressed brightly and warmly, but he is also so fiery."

In the end, Baron Kendall couldn't stand himself a bit. Feeling slightly uncomfortable, he finished the last sentence, turned around immediately, took the silk towel from the attendant, tapped it lightly with the magic gem ring on his hand, instantly chilled the silk towel, and then covered the silk towel. Rub it lightly on the face a few times.

Mr. Podris immediately felt that the Baron Kendall in front of him was really difficult to deal with. Not only did he speak without leaving traces, but he was also full of aristocratic manners. Even the towel that wiped his face had to be cooled by magic before wiping his face.

It's not that he doesn't know the Bota knight in the opposite level. If the other party's dress is very good, other things don't match what the baron said at all.

That stingy Porta knight came to anger Beiguan for two years. Except for one or two people he liked to accept, he didn't kick out the old, weak, sick and disabled in the original level.

It's not that the other party is high-spirited, it's just that the old, weak, sick and disabled occupy the checkpoint seats, and the salary cost is much less than that of normal people.

Many people don't need to spend any money, as long as they give a piece of food to a person who has lost part of his ability to live, he can be left with one person's salary.

Among the taxes paid every year, the salaries of soldiers at these checkpoints accounted for a lot of the maintenance costs of these checkpoints.

The rest of the money will go into his own purse.

You ask how Podris knew?

Because they do the same here.

The young Ika knight didn't care about anything at all. Apart from practicing his knight fighting skills every day, he just ran around on horseback, saying that he was patrolling, but he knew that this young man was just coming and going, and his eyes were full of pennies and bucks. Merchant's level can't stay.

The family rules of the Ika family are still very good, especially for those who want to take a step closer to the road of knighthood.

So Ika Knight didn't care, and Podris took over these matters by himself. Anyway, he was not greedy for anything. Most of the tax money collected would be escorted to the provincial capital by the Ika Knight after a certain amount was saved.

He and the young Ika knight are actually relatives, and both are loyal to the master of the western province.

Back to the present.

Podris didn't say a word to Baron Kendall's statement, but just smiled politely, you said, if you believe in one word, I will lose.

But although I don't believe it, the actual verification and statistics have to be carried out.

"My lord, since the size of the caravan has been counted at Beiguan, we have to do it here too. You know, this is the rule set by our Lord Earl. It is not only like that in your Northwest Province, but also in our The same goes for Bian. In fact, the rules are the same everywhere.”

Baron Kendall said nothing, but waved him off.

So Podris immediately jumped off the Ika knight's tall horse, rubbed his knees, then called the master, first told the Ika knight about the situation, and then went straight to the caravan with a pen and paper.

Kiel happened to pass by this person at this time, and Podris looked at Kiel curiously, wondering why such a strange young man with a wooden doll in his hand would be mixed in with the elite army, and looked out of place.

But he just took a look and passed by, and then came to the caravan accompanying the army, with a serious face, asked and inspected the caravan carriages in a serious manner.

But Podris didn't pay attention, and the Ika knight, who had been looking at the Kendall militia, stopped his eyes when he glanced at Kiel.

Although Keir looked tired and listless at this time, the Ika knight himself had experienced knight training. Different routes lead to the same goal, and the Ika knight recognized at a glance that what Kiel was doing at this time was the most basic training in the knight training to perceive and control the life energy in his body.

After many days on the wooden doll, the already thin life energy is still very threatening. After the Ika knight approached Kiel unconsciously, he also felt it.

"Hello. I'm Bors Ika, the knight of the Ika family, and the garrison knight of this checkpoint. Are you from Kendal too?"

Ika Knight raised his head and spoke directly to Kiel.

Keir blinked and looked at the young knight who took the initiative to talk to him.

The other party was about twenty years old. Compared with Keir, he had lost the youthfulness of a teenager, and was full of pride and vitality.

"Yes, my lord knight. My name is Joe Keel. I am from Kendall County, and I am the knight squire of Knight Crowe."

Unexpectedly, as soon as Kiel's words came out, the face of the opposite knight changed.

"There is no honor to be trained as a knight with such a person. Without honor, how can a person gain a foothold in this world? I hope you can understand this truth and think about it clearly."

Knight Ika said something honorable that Kiel couldn't understand, but Kiel at least heard that the other party didn't like Knight Crowe.

He was a little puzzled. Knight Crowe was the most powerful he knew in terms of strength and experience as a knight. Although he couldn't compare to the heroes of all walks of life in the bard's population, he was already the most outstanding figure that people could imagine in common sense.

How could this young knight, who was not a few years older than him, have the ability to feel that he was better than the opponent at the age of Knight Crowe?

Though thinking this way, Keir still considered the status and strength of the two, politely got off the horse, put away the wooden doll and saluted the Ika knight: "I will carefully consider your advice. "

"Very good." After finishing speaking, Knight Ika walked away on his own, and walked towards Knight Rumi to talk to him.

Kiel raised his eyebrows, came behind Knight Crowe inexplicably, and told Knight Crowe what happened just now in a low voice.

Knight Crowe chuckled twice.

"It's like this for a family knight who has never experienced anything. I won't think he is great until he can maintain such pride in another ten years. But now? It's just a young tiger who came out of the forest as an adult and didn't know the world. It's all the same as the nest mountain forest where its mother occupies."

Soon, as the Kendal people gathered in the open space outside the Angry South Pass, the stone bridge connecting the two places became empty again.

Someone came to ask the Ika knight what he wanted to say. The young knight looked at the Beiguan opposite, and found that the Beiguan had gradually started to allow the merchants who were waiting just now to pass through the bridge.

He also waved his hand and asked his subordinates to arrange for the merchants waiting here to bypass the Kendall army and pass under the checkpoint wall to cross the bridge.

-

Podris finished his work very quickly. After all, he had already asked those merchants at Beiguan in the previous inquiry, and the merchants only had to repeat what they said before.

And Podris also checked the goods of some merchants, and what he told the other party was indeed correct.

So soon, he walked towards the Ika Knight with a calculated paper.

"So much money?"

Although the young Ika knight didn't often deal with checkpoint affairs, he had learned the basic writing and calculation of the knight family, so he didn't think there was any problem with the amount of customs clearance for the caravan.

It can only be said that after reducing the number of caravan guards and thugs that usually **** and **** these caravans, they will save a lot of money and prepare more best-selling products.

The more carriages and goods there are, the more customs duties will naturally be paid.

Podris remembered what Baron Kendall had said before, and he also told Knight Ika: "When I was talking to the baron just now, the other party mentioned that at the North Gate, the Knight of Porta didn't accept it. Their tariffs."

Ika Knight frowned: "How is it possible, that guy with no honor, who is dressed as conspicuously and brightly as the actors in the theater, it is impossible not to charge such a large-scale customs duty."

Shaking his head: "Impossible, this tax should be about the same as our whole month's tax, right?"

Mr. Podolis corrected: "Not so many, but it's been about half a month. But although I don't believe that the other side confiscated customs duties, after all, Beiguan belongs to the same province as the Kendall people, so maybe they will reduce half of them .”

He paused: "According to the usual practice, caravans coming from the north will have their tax reduced or exempted in the north, and we can fully collect customs duties here."

"Then just accept it. No problem."

Knight Ika handed the paper to Mr. Podris.

But Mr. Podolis confiscated it, but turned around and stood in front of the Ika knight. Without saying a word, he just stretched out his finger and pointed to the hundreds of elite soldiers around him, as well as two knights on horses, and a naked Baron Kendall who knows how powerful magic is.

The Ika knight reacted in an instant, and the young man narrowed his eyes and whispered, "Do you find it difficult?"

Mr. Podris had a wry smile on his face: "This is not a difficult matter, but if the other party really refuses to give it, what can you do with them?"

"They don't dare. Our feet are the western provinces, not their barren and uninhabited border areas. You know, some scholars say that their northwest provinces are the farthest end of human territory. It's not that I look down on them, unless we pass through Kill everyone~www.readwn.com~ Otherwise, as long as one person informs the Earl in the capital, let alone go to the southern border to fight, they will not be able to get out of the land under our feet!"

Ika Knight said in a positive tone.

But having said that, he still had to figure out a way with Mr. Podrios how to collect this considerable amount of money.

Although Mr. Podris has been taking care of and helping the Ika Knights in various tasks, he couldn't think of a safe way at this time. He was anxious and could only watch the large amount of tax money go away for a while.

But Knight Ika glanced at Knight Crowe who was talking to Kiel, snorted and said, "Don't think about it, I have an idea, they should hand over the money, but since there are so many of them, why don't we just agree to a competition?" One time. We win, they obediently pay the loser, not only looks good inside and out, but also can block that Bota knight in the north pass. If we lose, let them go."

Mr. Podris thought about it for a while, and he thought it was okay. The question is, how should the competition be done, and who should do it?

As for the soldiers, although they didn't covet the salaries of those soldiers, so they didn't recruit the old, weak, sick and disabled to replace healthy soldiers, but compared with the elite soldiers like Kendall who were going out to fight, the soldiers under them seemed to be inferior.

If there is a knight competition, there are two knights on the other side. During the conversation just now, he also learned that the Crow knight is very strong. Not only did he serve in the kingdom's guard knights, but he even joined the border knights of the empire. .

Even if he had already left the border knights of the empire at this time and joined the subordinates of the local nobles, he was still not easy to provoke.

Facing Mr. Podris's troubles, the Ika knight raised his head proudly: "Let's have a knight competition, and the opponent will choose the Crowe knight!"