lord and his dragon

Negrim plans to go to the marginal forest again.

Although he used to ask the waiter to visit old friends in the Boundary Forest with gifts from time to time, but it was a bit different from being there in person. In addition, he also wanted to see with his own eyes the current living conditions of those races in the Boundary Forest. The cold words sent to his desk are still not as real as what he saw with his own eyes.

When Abel heard this, he thought of something, and said, "Is there still something about the birthday?"

Negrim glanced at him and snorted noncommittally.

This time, when we entered the forest, we didn’t have to walk so embarrassingly. Negrim was wrapped up thickly. He and Abel took gifts and went directly to Gaydon by carriage. He sent the two into the marginal forest.

There are very few coachmen who can enter the border forest and know the way in the border forest, no more than ten, and they only work for Negrim. When the envoy needs to enter the border forest, he must have a handwritten letter from Negrim And the private seal, they will pull out their carriage only after confirming that they are correct.

The marginal forest is not yet open to humans. Only the residents of the forest can come out, but humans cannot enter at will. This is not only the meaning of the four races in the forest, but also the meaning of Negrim.

There is nothing wrong with the abundance of marginal forest resources, but there are more rare goods to live in. Negrim knows that the power brought by money is huge, and human greed will never end. If everyone can unimpeded and ensure safe access to The marginal forest, the resources in it will be exploited soon, not only will the four races be harassed so that they will no longer have a peaceful life, but the monopoly of Negrim will no longer be able to continue. This is definitely not what he wants to see Case.

However, Negrim also knows that it’s just that the marginal forest was not favored by people in the past, but now the marginal forest has become synonymous with wealth. If the road to the marginal forest is completely blocked, some people will not be able to resist doing something Small trick, he doesn't have the time to always guard against such things, so he simply opened a hole himself, allowing adventurers to enter the forest alone or in a team of no more than five people after receiving related tasks from the Adventurer's Union .

By the way, when the Adventurer's Guild accepts and releases tasks related to the Border Forest, it must also obtain the approval of Negrim, and Negrim can get [-]% of the handling fee.

However, Negrim is only responsible for screening those tasks that he thinks are irrelevant and can be issued. Adventurers are only qualified to enter the marginal forest. Their safety is not within the scope of Negrim's responsibility. In this case For adventurers who enter the forest, there will be no aliens who are willing to help them. To be precise, aliens who are still dissatisfied with the behavior of humans entering the forest, most of the time when facing adventurers. Hostile attitude, not to mention those monsters in the marginal forest.

Although the rewards are generous, most adventurers who do not have the protection of the dragon lord want to complete the task, and most of them are close to death. Some forces have changed from ready to move to dead.

The marginal forest is still the original marginal forest, and there is only one person who has tamed it. If other people want to take a share, they have to carefully weigh their abilities.

However, Negrim is of course different from others. For him, the Boundary Forest can only be said to be a bigger Gaydon. He paid a price when he came in last time, but what he got in exchange was smooth flow from now on. No problem, Negrim never loses money in business.

Except for the part of the road that just came in, the drivers took some hidden trails. They didn't go in and out often, and the ruts would disappear after ten days and a half months. route.

The first stop in Negrim was the Centaurs.

The centaurs have always been accustomed to living on the move, but in order to facilitate communication with the people in Negrim, they fixed a point. Every day, a small group of centaurs who feel that their luck is not bad or very good will come to station, so Negrim Don't be afraid that you will miss out.

Negrim did not fail, and he was very lucky. The man stationed here this time was his old acquaintance, that is, the man named Yezzy. Not only that, because he has the closest relationship with the Lord of the Dragon, and from time to time, people from other tribes come here. It can be said that if it is not for the people and horses, it is not the entire ethnic group. If they gather together, he should already be regarded as the king of the centaur clan.

When Yezz saw the carriage, he thought it was an ordinary messenger again, and he still missed Negrim in his heart, but he didn't expect that after opening the door, it was Negrim himself wrapped in a ball!

Surprised and delighted, Yezz rushed forward. The other people had never seen Negrim before, and they looked around curiously. It wasn't until Yezzy grandly introduced the identity of Negrim that the group of people suddenly understood. It turned out to be the benefactor who saved them!However, the disaster has passed for a long time. Although their gratitude is still there, it is not as obvious as before. Their favor for Negrim comes more from the new life that Negrim brought them, but this is also Enough to make them respect the lord.

Seeing that the men and horses bowed their knees and saluted, Negrim also nodded, and said, "Get up, everyone, you are busy, I have something to discuss with Yates."

The centaurs have been following the stars, and the hierarchy among them is actually not strict. Although they bowed, they have never seen anyone who can accept other people's admiration for them as a matter of course. Everyone looked at this lord curiously. My lord, but I found that the other party has an innate noble aura. Although he is wearing thick clothes and cannot see his figure and standing posture, his gorgeous dress, exquisite appearance, and indifferent expression, everything is so attractive Human eyes seem to be born to be worshiped by everyone.

All the people couldn't help comparing him with other human beings they had seen before, such as messengers, shop owners, ordinary workers, and finally came to the conclusion that he is worthy of being the lord!

It was the first time for the people to see the real nobles. Although most of them left with indifferent nature, some young people couldn't hold back, they kicked around and dangled around, wanting to see more dragons. After a few glances at the lord, Negrim noticed it and didn't care about it, but looked at Yez next to him.

The height of the centaur is really outstanding, and Nigrim only reaches his waist. To see the opponent, he can only look up, and because of the thick clothes, it is very difficult to move, but after a short look, Nigrim also It can be seen that the other party's condition is completely new compared to before, not only in the mental state, but also in the physical condition. The centaurs are not afraid of the cold, and Yezzy only has a human upper body covered with loose clothes, and the fur is exposed But it glowed with health, exhaled hot air from the mouth and nose, and the state of walking seemed relaxed and upright.

Negrim smiled and asked, "How is the current situation of the centaurs? Have they adapted to interacting with the outside world?"

As soon as Yates heard Negrim's question, his whole face lit up, his deep eyes were full of joy, and he happily replied: "Thanks to you, it couldn't be better!"

Although there are not many rumors on the human side, Negrim has also heard that humans and alien races actually had conflicts thousands of years ago. The races in the marginal forest were closed for a long time before the appearance of Negrim, and they had no idea There are new things outside. After Negrim opened the door for them, the quality of life of almost all races has improved dramatically, and the changes of the centaurs are especially obvious.

Unlike the other three races, the centaurs have nothing special to offer except divination. However, due to Negrim's protection policy for the marginal forest, they can collect some medicinal materials in the forest. Deng exchanged a lot of gold coins to buy daily necessities, and the centaurs have also developed a habit. They will go to Gaiden in groups of five or seven at a fixed time for maintenance.

The people under Negrim had reported similar information before, but because of their busy schedule, they did not go into details in order not to delay Negrim's review. Negrim also had time to come out this time, so he couldn't help but wonder: " maintainance?"

Yates nodded and explained carefully with a smile.

In the past, the centaur people were not very particular. Firstly, they had no conditions, and secondly, they did not have this concept. Their fur would often be hooked with cocklebur and other difficult plant seeds, and occasionally there would be insects parasitizing them. To solve these problems, it is better to roll in the mud than to take a bath, so the body is always dirty.

After Negrim opened up exchanges between the two sides, the centaurs were the first race to enter Gaedon in order to support the Dragon Lord. They didn't think they could have much demand, but just wanted to cheer for some daily necessities and novelties. It's just food, but he didn't expect to be targeted by horse dealers-of course, he didn't want to kidnap people and horses to sell.

The horse dealer knows a lot of tips about taking care of horses. After finding out that the horses and horses who came to the city were not in a good condition, he immediately found someone to clean up the group of horses and horses. The horse dealer originally only wanted to represent human beings. To show my friendliness, by the way, the condoms are close, but I didn't expect that the people and horses have never experienced such a relaxed, clean and non-itchy state. They fell in love with this activity of letting humans help bathe and brush their hair, and paid gold coins at a higher price.

After the group of people who ate crabs returned to the forest, they introduced this activity to other people. Immediately afterwards, more and more people went to Gaiden, and bathing with people became a serious business in Gaiden. , even Negrim didn't know that Gadden has opened five family horse baths in just two or three months. Although these shops cannot accommodate too many people at a time due to the size of the horses, but fortunately There are not many people coming out each time, so they can barely handle it.

Yezzy also likes to take a bath, so he introduced to Negrim endlessly the various items of bathing for centaurs, even combing the hair, there is even a pony tail, and both male and female centaurs love this item .

Negrim was amazed when he heard that, and Yates still said that he didn't have to move when he asked humans to help him bathe, he could just stand and enjoy it, but Negrim felt that those who bathed the centaurs were probably horse washers in the past. Maybe they still feel that bathing horses is more comfortable. They need to check the situation when they go back. If the profit from bathing horses is much higher than that of ordinary horses, Gaiden may not have horse washers. Neither the horse dealer nor the horse breeder will be happy about it.

Yates didn't know that Negrim had already thought of such a big thing, he even raised his front hoof to show Negrim, and said excitedly: "This shoe is also very good, the way our family needs to walk every day They are all long, and some people with bad hoofs are prone to injury, and the situation is much better after shoeing."

When the centaur saw the shoe for the first time, they were very scared. They thought it was a kind of torture. Only then did they realize that the hooves are actually used to protect their hooves just like human beings wear shoes, and they don’t hurt at all, so everyone scrambled to let humans help them nail them on.

"However, the hooves don't grind on the ground, they will always grow thicker, and they have to be trimmed from time to time, and then the hooves are nailed on again." Yezzy showed a complicated expression on his face.

Negrim raised his eyebrows and asked, "Is there any question?"

Yates glanced at Negrim, smiled a little embarrassedly, and said, "Actually, everything is fine, but shoeing is much more expensive than taking a bath..."

Not only do horseshoes have to be repaired, but the shoes are also specially made according to the shapes of the horses and horses.

Negrim understood that after starting to trade with humans, people who were intoxicated by nature and indifferent to sex also learned to love money.

But this is also a problem. The people and horses do not have a real fixed income. They are not good at production and farming. The main source of income now is collection, but sooner or later, the marginal forest will become more and more open. Things will also become less and less valuable. Now it makes people feel distressed to put on a shoe, but how can they afford it in the future?

Negrim thought for a while and asked, "A while ago, I passed many missions for adventurers who came to the Border Forest to seek divination. Has anyone really found you?"

Hearing this, Yates immediately said: "Yes, not long ago, a team of adventurers found us and asked us to do a fortune-telling for his employer."

Negrim asked, "How much is the reward?"

Yezzy replied happily: "Two thousand gold coins! It's more than we can earn by picking herbs for several days!"

In fact, after tasting the sweetness, Yezzy couldn't help but want Nigrim to let more adventurers like this come in, but when he looked at Nigrim, he saw that the other party was looking at him with strange eyes. he.

The centaurs couldn't help worrying about what they did wrong. If divination for that person would actually be detrimental to Negrim, he would definitely refuse. The position of the dragon lord in the hearts of the centaurs cannot be replaced by gold coins!

Yezz was about to apologize when he heard Negrim say, "Two thousand gold coins are too little, Yezzy."

Yezz was stunned, and heard Negrim say: "The people who come to seek people to divination the future are all either rich or expensive, and they are extremely urgent. In fact, the bounty for entering the marginal forest alone is huge." Wan, I just found you, the bounty that the group of adventurers can get is several times higher than the reward you get for the real divination."

Negrim looked straight at Yates and said, "That's not right."

What Negrim said is true, but Yates always feels that the Dragon Lord seems to be planning to cheat someone... But the Dragon Lord can't cheat anyone, Yates swallowed, and said: "So , what do you think we should do?"

A smile appeared on Negrim's face, and he said: "The divination of centaurs is extremely accurate. In most cases, the decisions you make for them will either make them a lot of money or save their lives, so there is no need to worry about it." Feeling guilty, just boldly ask for a price, and next time someone comes with two thousand gold coins for you to divination, just drive them back."

Yates nodded in a daze, and asked, "So what price should we offer?"

Negrim glanced at him, with a smile on his face: "The base is 20, and it will be doubled depending on the severity. There is no upper limit."

The simple and inexperienced centaur gasped, and almost knelt down. He was no longer the centaur who had never had contact with humans before. He could still understand what 20 meant, and it was still a fight. The bottom price, the price increase or double? ? ?

"This... this is too expensive..." Yates stammered.

Negrim glanced at him and said, "That's fate."

It is true to say that, although the centaurs have never realized what they are doing, in fact, what they are spying on is fate, which may also be the reason why the centaurs became the race with the largest number of deaths in that curse, Only about one-third of the entire centaur tribe survived. This is the price of fate.

Negrim saw that Yates was a little shaken, and continued: "If the price is low, everyone will come to you, but if the price is high, only very serious things will come to those very few people at the top. People, your clan will be less likely to be affected."

Yates was finally convinced. He nodded and said, "You're right. Everyone probably doesn't want the centaurs to pursue fame and wealth. I will do so."

Negrim nodded in satisfaction.

Abel watched in silence for a while, and when someone came to call Yates away, he leaned over to Negrim and said, "Although there are reasons for this, in fact, the master is interested in the adventurer's guild." Fees and taxes, right?"

A commission worth 20 gold coins, of course, has to pay the corresponding handling fee and tax. No matter whether the commission is completed or not, Negrim can scrape the fat once, and it is better if the adventurer completes it. And taxes, you have to pay handling fees and taxes after completing the entrustment. In the end, the gold coins in your hands will still be spent in Gaydon, and you will continue to pay taxes to Negrim...

Negrim hooked the corners of his lips, but reached out and pushed Abel's face away from his ear, and said softly, "You know as much as you do."

When Abel saw him like this, he really thought it was cute no matter how he saw it, and there was an emotion in his heart that was about to move, and after he noticed it, he quickly suppressed it.

The conversation between the two was just an interlude, and Yezzy came back soon, and Nigrim didn't ask him what he was doing, but said: "By the way, do you still remember who the person who asked you for divination is?" ?”

This is another benefit of holding the centaur. To be precise, it should be the greatest benefit that the centaur brings to Negrim, even far higher than those generous taxes.

The outside world does not know that the Centaur tribe is actually completely loyal to Negrim—but even if they know, they will still come to find Centaur when they need it, but Negrim can easily learn the movements of outside forces from the Centaur. , the choices they are facing, and even their ultimate fate.

After hearing this, Yates recalled it carefully, and said: "The client didn't give his full name, and he didn't explain the matter in detail, so the prediction we can give is also very vague."

Negrim said: "After all, he only gave two thousand rewards. Presumably he didn't expect to get any useful information, but just asked casually. Those who can offer expensive rewards in the future will naturally explain everything in detail. The conditions are clear."

Yates nodded. Such vague divinations took them a lot of thought, and it was better to follow what the lord said.

Yezzy thought for a while and said, "I remember his name is Cosson. I hope we can tell him if there is any result of a major impact thing he will do next year."

Cosson sounded like a surname, and it was a little familiar, but Negrim couldn't remember any nobles in the Golden Feather Kingdom with this surname, so he just asked Yates to continue: "What's the result of the divination?"

Yezzy shook his head and said, "The stars told us that the result is very bad. If he does that thing next year, he will definitely fail. Not only that, but he will most likely lose everything, including his life."

Negrim responded, not taking this matter to heart for the time being.

I don't know if the other party will listen to the centaur's suggestion, but if he really fails, Negrim will naturally know, and there is no need to worry too much about this person.

Yates glanced at Negrim quietly, and asked softly, "My lord, do you need to perform a divination for yourself?"

Negrim was stunned for a moment, then he looked at Yezz, smiled, and said, "No need, if you want, you can divination when next year is suitable for planting, whether there is any natural disaster, I think the residents of Gayden Will thank you."