Mercenaries and Adventurers

Kiel sighed, while others discussed the current situation in Boris Law City in low voices.

They were not very familiar with each other, they were just a group of strangers gathered around the Kiel knight and Batar priest. So the discussion is more cautious.

The latest news for everyone at this time is that the old businessman passed through the local area before he was captured by the bandits, and the young villagers who fled the whole village some time ago occasionally heard the news.

It cannot be faked, but the real situation is also very limited.

Moreover, time has passed, and no one knows what the situation at that time is like now. The situation may have settled down, or it may become more chaotic.

After listening for a while, Keel realized that most of the others didn't have very good expectations for this place.

Originally, the troops and public security forces from all over the southern province were brought to the capital of the province by nobles from all over the place, preparing to go south to launch a new war again. This has led to chaos in law and order in various places, and last year's deserters and defeated troops joined bandit gangs in various places, making the situation so unsafe.

If there were only bandits rioting near the city of Borisfa, the remaining local soldiers could find a way to calm down and ensure the safety of one side.

But now the rural people in the area under the rule of Bolisifa City have gathered and surrounded the entire city, and no one can guess in what direction the situation will deteriorate.

"Then, regarding the situation of this place, let's wait until we get out of here. After we arrive in Dorne Town, we can find someone to inquire about the news. It can be regarded as a selected place that has been reserved for the time being."

Keel scratched his head, found a small piece of wood and placed it on the map at the location of Borisfa City.

"Let's look again, where can be safer around. At least there must be houses and cultivated land for hundreds of people to settle down. This is the premise. This is not a place to live for a short time, but may need to be settled for a year or two. A place where time avoids war and chaos and law and order."

Keir first speaks out the conditions required for the place he needs, and don't let some people choose some outrageous places.

Everyone gathered around the map, carefully looking at this relatively complicated map. They also repeatedly asked Kiel about some incomprehensible marks above, and Kiel answered them one by one.

Nine people gathered in a small circle, which led to insufficient lighting from the fire, so Keel drew out the long sword at his waist to hunt, and stabbed the point of the sword downward on the land next to the map.

Afterwards, according to Kiel's request, the blade of the long sword constantly emitted a uniform and non-glare white light, illuminating the map and everyone in the circle.

The two businessmen and the four young men under Kiel looked at the weapon in surprise. Priest Batar closed his eyes slightly, and did not express any opinion on Kiel, the warrior chosen by the God of Saturn, for using the blessed weapon of the Church of the Sun God.

Especially when Kiel received the ritual blessing from the **** of agriculture before, he had already worn this weapon.

The **** of agriculture didn't say anything, so he pretended he didn't see it.

In particular, everyone knows that compared to other churches, the main body of the Saturnalia Church does not have many blessings and divine arts that can be directly used for combat.

-

"How is this place?"

On a whim, a young man pointed to a mark with a skull on the map and said.

This place, as Kiel just explained, is the abandoned ruins of a dwarf. Although it is located on a small plain in a relatively good river valley, there are no human-settled villages within a certain distance around it.

"There is no one around, so naturally there will be no bandits to attack! No matter how chaotic it is outside, it should be quite safe there."

Kiel shrugged: "The abandoned ruins of the dwarves, the reason why there is a skull mark is because the old man in the village who provided the information said that the early migrants in the past have never returned and disappeared. That's why even the bandits don't go there. It used to be there. If we want to settle there, we have to figure out how the people who migrated there died. And the abandoned ruins of the dwarves, maybe it was abandoned because of the establishment of the Kingdom of St. Hors, or it was abandoned earlier. abandoned."

"If it's because of the establishment of the human kingdom, it's okay to say that the dwarves there migrated away, but if it's something that some stubborn dwarves can't handle, then I suggest that we don't go there."

The young man scratched his head and smiled silly.

The middle-aged businessman, Lon Barford, made a special proposal afterwards: "Master Knight, with you in the team, our combat effectiveness should be higher than that of ordinary bandit gangs, right?"

Kiel waved his hand: "It should be like this, but Batar and I have to rescue the people in Changmai Village, and then we have to return to the army. It is impossible to stay here for a long time."

"That's right, but it's okay, I have a proposal, please listen to it."

Everyone looked at this middle-aged businessman, who was not at all the same spirit as the other rescued businessmen, to see what good location he could provide.

I didn't expect this person's words to be very bold.

"This is what I think. Since we have been able to fight many bandit gangs during the days when Sir Knight was here, why not just find a bandit lair with a good location, let's shoot down and occupy there. We don't want to Will you attack other people like bandits, occupy a place, and cultivate new fields. At the same time, you will also deter bandit gangs in other places by completely eliminating a large bandit gang to get our idea?"

"I don't know if this method is feasible?"

He stood up and stroked his chest modestly, made a gesture and finally asked.

This seemingly whimsical plan immediately opened the eyes of the four young people leading the team. They became excited and whispered to each other, seeming very excited.

Priest Batar frowned, as if he was a little worried, because unlike the Kiel warriors who would leave, he would stay here forever after he brought the rescued Changmai Villagers back to the settlement that everyone has chosen. .

Laying down a bandit's lair and then using the opportunity to deter other bandit gangs seems to be a good idea. It is a simple and violent solution, but because of this, he feels that it is not appropriate.

It's just that I can't tell what's wrong for a while.

But next, the two of them will help him sort out these doubts.

"To deter bandit gangs? I don't think this will work." The first to refute was Blood Fangste. He was different from most of the people present, and he would follow Kiel, so he spoke more casually, without looking at other people's faces and concerns.

Merchant Barford frowned, but then he spread his hands and asked the caravan guard who was about his age to explain in detail.

Xueyasite carried a crossbow on his back and a bag of crossbow arrows on his waist behind him. On the left was a long steel sword that had just been seized and replaced, and on the right was a high-quality short knife that was also seized. He was wearing a thick leather jacket, and some fragmentary leather armor parts were covered outside the leather jacket.

"What I said doesn't work, it's a matter of power ebb and flow. As the chaos in the southern provinces intensifies, the strength of the bandit gangs will definitely enter a stage of rapid growth as they absorb a large number of young men who have lost their homes. The more chaotic the situation, Their numbers and combat effectiveness will be further strengthened."

"Today, a bandit gang feels that it can deter the surrounding enemies. What about tomorrow? They have doubled their number, and they still feel that they can't deal with you? This is not good, it is too dangerous, and even announced that these people will settle down in reverse. The existence of the young refugees. They didn’t know it before, but now they know it’s a bandit lair.”

The businessman Barford couldn't speak because of these words, because it's really hard to say what the situation of the bandits is. At least as time goes by, the strength of some bandit gangs has grown. This is something that everyone recognizes.

If this matter is not resolved, they are like a piece of fat, which will attract a group of hungry, killing and predatory hyenas to chase and bite wherever they go.

Just like the bandits they met last night.

Even more brutal.

At the same time, the old businessman Fantigar also slowly gave his rebuttal, not because he came here specifically to dismantle trouble for his fellow merchants, but mainly because he saw the difficulties he would face after seeing so many people settling in the bandits' lair. It was difficult to solve, so I had to open my mouth to refute.

"Ahem, that's right. I also have some immature opinions."

The old businessman shook his head at the middle-aged businessman, indicating that what he said next was not to help him.

"Not to mention the external security situation, but after settling down on the inside, I think the problem is not small."

He pointed to the locations of several old bandit gangs that were marked on the map and had a certain family inheritance: "Let's not talk about some bandit gangs that are still small today and their lairs. After all, those places It is barely enough to arrange dozens of people, hundreds of people, and many places cannot be arranged no matter what, there are not so many places to live, let alone reclaim land."

"I'm just talking about these bandit gangs that have been around for a certain period of time. These places can barely accommodate our current number of people, and even more people in the future. Well, they generally occupy some places that can be developed into villages, and the terrain is relatively open. Just As far as I know, oh, I heard from some businessmen who were caught by bandits and then redeemed. The bandit lairs that can last for a long time are generally half-robbing and half-farming. There are even Send the kidnapped people to work on the same land as the family members who don’t kill or rob. And if the land and crops are harvested in those years, if you don’t send people to rob, it’s almost like some smaller villages.”

He looked around at the faces looking at him, and then said, "So, that's the good side, but."

Sure enough, whenever words like this kind of vocabulary appear in the end, the benefits mentioned earlier will become disadvantages later.

"However, because of this, these bandits' lairs, lairs, whatever you want to call them that have appeared for a certain period of time, they all have a larger number of other people who are not going to rob."

His old and cloudy eyes looked at Kiel, and the white light from the hunting sword gave these eyes a bright reflection.

"If the bandit's lair is laid down, what should the relatives of these bandit families who outnumber the bandits do with it? Sir Knight?"

Kilben wanted to say that he dealt with them all the same way Knight Crowe dealt with the bandits in pocket holes in Kendall County. But he knew that it was no problem for Knight Crowe to say that, because Knight Crowe led all the combat militia at that time, and those people hated the bandits on the trade road very much, especially because the families of the robbers in Pocket Cave were hiding in the cave. However, the militiamen did not see each other's women and children with their own eyes when they fought.

So in the end, smoke and fire were used to suffocate or burn those hundreds of people to death. Except for some militiamen who disgusted the corpses, most people don't care.

But not now. His status as Keir and the composition of his team did not allow him to answer like this.

Kiel frowned, thought for a while, and said, "It's impossible to kill, and it's not easy to deal with, so I can only take care of them and live together?"

The old businessman nodded: "The question is, can two groups of people who have hurt each other live under one roof?"

Now, as soon as Kiel finished speaking, he shook his head: "Impossible. We can't deal with it. If you are a nobleman with a territory, you can disperse the families of these bandits and arrange them in various villages in the territory. Wherever they go, they are a minority of people, and if they cannot gather, it is not a problem, and the village managers can handle it by themselves."

"That's right. Besides, there are some other problems. For example, after settling down and occupying the lair of bandits, the necessities of survival, such as salt and tools, must be obtained through external exchanges. Of course, big towns can organize armed caravans to protect them." The last remaining trade, but how can a small place like ours obtain these necessities for survival?"

"Of course bandits can be solved by looting, robbing villages, caravans, and even other bandits. After all, in a chaotic situation, their scale will only continue to grow, and the more they attack each other, the faster their scale will grow. But what about us? Do you rely on robbery? Whom? Bandits? After the knights of Kiel left, most of the people who settled down could barely survive. How could they beat the bandits who became more and more powerful? So other villages? Isn’t that the same as bandits? gone?"

"I'm afraid that when the border war is over and the nobles from all over the country bring their troops back to their hometowns, we will be wiped out by the army just like the bandits from all over the place."

As soon as the old businessman finished speaking, everyone present fell silent, especially the four young people who thought the plan was pretty good before. Like eggplants beaten by Shuang, they were all wilted, sitting on the ground with their heads down, not knowing what to do.

They then looked at Knight Kiel, but they could only see a forced smile on Kiel's face, and then the smiling face turned into a sad expression, staring at the messy and complicated map with various marks.

"Batar, tell me."

Kiel finally asked Priest Batar, who had been silent.

Of course, Priest Batar didn't like the plan of the bandits' lair, but he couldn't come up with any other plans, so he said: "I still want to know the latest situation in the city of Borisfa. If it is safe there, I am sure." I can get some help from the Diocese of the Saturnalia Church in Belizefa City. After all, there are no people in the villages everywhere, and I think most of the priests in the villages will not flee with the people, but should take their believers with them Go to the parish to gather."

"That's a lot of power. If you get help and even gather it together, maybe everything can be resolved smoothly."

"Even if you don't solve it, you can get some help, that's what I think."

But after hearing what he said, Kiel shook his head silently: "Priest Lothar Batar, think about it carefully."

"Um?"

Knight Kiel's words made everyone around him confused. They didn't know what he meant, but the knight didn't seem to want to explain.

The old businessman was thoughtful, but said nothing more.

Priest Batar was a little confused at first, but after looking at Kiel and pointing at him, the priest understood.

Priest Batar fell silent.

If the Diocese of the Saturnalia Church in Belizefa City had enough capacity, or in other words, if the situation was good, the Saturnalia would not have guided him to Montoka City to wait for an outsider's Kiel warrior.

Although the warrior arranged for him by the God of Saturn had surprised him many times, but he did not seek the power of the parish of the city of Bolisifa at all, which already explained a lot of problems.

The Church of Saturn has a big problem with its parish in Belizefa.

At least in a state of being unable to move and support.

-

In the end, this night discussion failed to have a clear destination. In the end, everyone only proposed a few constructive proposals, and there were a few seemingly 'safe' settlements that were like fog.

Kiel finally ended the discussion, saying that everyone should go out of this trade route first and go to the chaotic but well-informed town of Dorne as a short-term destination.

They guessed a lot of things in this remote place and couldn't come to any conclusions. Only when they got the latest news could they make accurate judgments.

So, the target—Dorne Town.

-

When he went to bed at night, Keir wore a suit of armor, except that he didn't wear a helmet, and lay down on his dog-skin sleeping bag and fell asleep.

He didn't sleep for two days and one night, although Knight Crowe told him that after becoming a knight, in the tense state of the battle, if he didn't sleep for a week, there would be no major problems.

But last night was too long after all, with a lot of killings.

Keir only felt that as soon as he closed his eyes, those individuals killed by him appeared repeatedly in his mind, even in front of his eyes.

The screams, wailing, pain, and crying of those people before they died appeared so clearly in his ears and eyes.

'How many people did I kill last night? '

Keel couldn't remember.

In the darkness with his eyes closed, accompanied by the screams that sounded clearly in his ears because of his deep sleep, Kiel's consciousness sank into the darkness.

-

Open your eyes~www.readwn.com~ What you see is the familiar shadow trees again.

Keir froze for a moment, looked left and right, everything around him became wider, but it was still dark and monotonously repeated.

His consciousness became clear, and he understood where this place was.

Shadow Secret Realm, a conscious space created by the wood carving hanging on his chest.

"Big bird god? Are you looking for me? If you have something to do, come out, don't pretend to be mysterious. I won't take that."

Keir got up, and only with the help of the dark light around him, he saw the dark red stench of resentful souls all over his body, and at the same time, there were some small purification mushrooms that were tenacious to "survive".

He first confirmed that he was in the last small territory of the **** named Budolib Dorab Yika, and then he confirmed that the many enemies he killed last night were indeed in the conscious world that he could not see, Is pestering and hurting him.

And these mushrooms, which must have originated from the goblin, are silently treating him.

As soon as Keir finished speaking, there was a lot of sound of flapping wings. In the shadows, a lot of small bird-shaped shadows flapped their wings and danced around, and finally landed on the branches of the forest.

Birds made of black shadows of different depths sat quietly on the branches, all staring at Keel, a human being.

Instead of fright and admiration, what was exchanged was a muffled groan from Keel with his arms folded.

"Hmph, who are you scaring?"

It seemed to be annoyed by the attitude of this little human being Kiel. After a loud "Ga!", a huge black bird the size of a person landed on the wooden stick that suddenly appeared in front of Kiel and was stuck on the ground. top.

"Irreverent human! The tragic situation is coming, it seems that you still don't know it? Ga!"

The gods said so.