MTL - Mercenaries and Adventurers-v4 Chapter 196 , the darkest moonless night (19)
Keir insisted that he came here just to retaliate against the bandits' attack on his team, but he didn't mention a few money boxes that he hung on the horse.
"Go and call those people over, I need some help from you. Go."
Seeing the surprised and joyful look on this man's face, Keir knew that these people might have suffered a lot, so he clapped his hands and asked the middle-aged man to call everyone over.
It wasn't until this moment that the middle-aged man realized that they had finally been rescued, and tears trickled down his face, with a smile that was uglier than suffering. He wiped it with his own hands, and the dirt on his face turned into a ball, and the more he wiped it, the more messy he looked.
He is obviously a middle-aged man. In another world, at least the children would probably be getting married, but when he ran to those companions who suffered with him at this time, he not only cheered, but also jumped up and down, very happy look.
Kiel smiled and continued to count the supplies that the bandits had looted.
In addition to the cash and valuables just now, some valuable goods stolen by the bandits were also shipped out. Most of these goods are cloth and paper, as well as lamp oil and some light handicrafts.
"These are the valuable things you picked out?"
Kiel asked the bandits who surrendered. The bandits didn't know what Kiel meant, but they still nodded.
Letting out a breath, Keir shrugged, feeling that the level of the bandits was really limited.
He felt that it would be better to search the cave where the bandits were lair later.
At this time, the kidnapped people rushed over. They wanted to get close to Kiel, the knight, to thank him for his rescue, but when they came, they were scared away by the **** smell and blood on Kiel's body. .
"Haha, I have seen everyone's kindness, but the blood on my body is really ugly. Can someone bring me some water, I have to scrub the armor and weapons on my body."
When Kiel said this, he thought that these rescued people would take the initiative to help him, but these people looked at me and I looked at you. In the end, an old man nodded and said that he knew where the water fetching place in the bandit's lair was. Where, he will get it.
Keel thought that these people were indifferent for this reason, but later realized that these guys who were kidnapped were at least wealthy, and they had never done the rough work of fetching water and cooking.
"Come here, it's you."
Keir yelled at the middle-aged man just now, and the man walked over awkwardly and asked what was going on.
"In this way, you take this dagger, and take this luminous pendant by the way, ride my horse, carefully go down the hillside, go through the woods, and find my men. Call them over, there are so many things here. It has to be taken away, and by the way, this bandit lair has to be destroyed."
"Master Knight, I don't know which direction your team is in?"
"It's all right, my horse knows, it will take you there. But after you pass, you have to show me this dagger first, convince them, let them come. Hey, I still can't go, or I will go by myself called someone."
The middle-aged man shied away a little, but there was nothing he could do. Kiel pushed the man directly and let him climb up the blood licking grass. Bloodlicker was quite unhappy, but Keel kept nagging it in its ear for a while, so that it didn't get thrown off the horse.
"Don't touch my stuff, it's my trophy."
Keir finally threatened the middle-aged man, who nodded solemnly. So, Keel slapped the horse's buttocks and let the horse go out.
As soon as the horses left the gate of the camp, there was a scream from the middle-aged man outside the gate.
The men, women and children around who had just been rescued were frightened.
"It's okay, it's probably because he was frightened by the battle scene outside the gate. It's okay, it just looks scary."
Keir comforted him, and shouted loudly: "The head of Yueshui—"
Then the ax with blue light whizzed and flew back. It circled above Kiel's head, and then it fell into Kiel's outstretched palm autonomously.
Hanging on the hanger on his back, Keel shrugged his shoulders and said to the people who stared at him with wide eyes: "You are all hungry, let's eat something, and we will have to walk for a while when we leave here." .”
Some of these people were estimated to have been locked up for a long time, and they were very thin. Keel was afraid that the other party would not be able to walk, so he proposed to eat something. As soon as his words came out, a series of stomach gurgles sounded around him. Obviously, many people felt hungry once they got to a safe environment.
Maybe the feeling of hunger has always been there, but these people didn't dare to cry before.
After Kiel said this, these people came to the food pile that had been piled up in the middle of the camp just now, picking and choosing to find something to eat. A skinny child who was estimated to be only ten years old held a piece of dried salted fish and tore it vigorously, ignoring the salty fish and rolling his eyes.
"It won't work like this. Find a pot, cook some water and drink it, otherwise many people's stomachs won't be able to take it."
When Keir said this, some young people reacted, put down the dry wheat grains in their hands, and ran to the surrounding houses one after another, looking for something to cook.
At this time, the old man carrying water came over with a bucket of water. Kiel stepped forward to take the bucket, casually tore off a piece of animal skin clothes from the dead bodies everywhere, and wiped the surface of the armor on his body after getting wet.
The blood-tainted clear water flowed sparsely along the terrain at Kiel's feet, leaving behind a winding red stream.
"Please carry another bucket, I will also wipe the upper body of the weapon and armor."
Hearing Kiel's explanation, the old man nodded and said, "There is still a bucket in the cave, I'll go get you another bucket."
Soon, the old man brought a new bucket of water. Keir was not in a hurry to wipe off the armor on his upper body. He first took out the long sword and stabbed it into the ground beside him, then groped for the helmet and neck armor. One click, open the lock buckle that is connected and fixed, and remove the helmet.
"Phew, it's much more enjoyable. The helmet is good everywhere, but it's a bit boring after wearing it for a long time."
Kiel shook his head, shaking off the sweat from his long hair. When Kiel looked at the old man, the old man took a few steps back in fright: "Young knight, your eyes?"
Kiel lowered his head and looked curiously at the reflective surface of the clear water in the bucket. On his too young face, a pair of blue eyes were very dazzling: "It's okay, it's just a change brought about by a powerful blessing."
He didn't expect that after more than an hour, the infinite energy effect brought by the blessing of the 'source of grass and trees' has not faded.
This made him speculate that this blessing can either give the user almost unlimited divine power compensation and consumption support within a short period of time, or it can provide an upper limit of divine power that ordinary people, even knights, cannot use up.
Given the claim that blessings fade with regular use, he thinks it's likely the latter.
The so-called unlimited energy is not really unlimited, but it is inexhaustible, which gives people a feeling of infinity.
Just like the well water in a well, it seems that it will never be exhausted, but as long as the place does not rain for a year, the seemingly inexhaustible well water will also become thirsty.
"Blessing? Are you a knight of the church?"
The old man seemed to have some knowledge, but Kiel shook his head: "No, I just help the church with affairs. I am afraid that I am not strong enough, so I just provide me with a blessing. Do you know blessings?"
The old man nodded: "Of course I know. I'm not some young people who don't know much. I have been to several provinces in the kingdom. Hey, I didn't expect to turn over in this place in winter. I asked the bandits to catch me."
Kiel smiled: "After hearing that the southern province was defeated on the battlefield last year, it gradually became chaotic. The knight lords in charge of local governance and management all led their troops to the provincial capital in early spring. Messed up."
The old man found a place to sit down and hammered his back: "I am still greedy, thinking that after the war, the price of goods in the local area has increased a lot, so I want to get involved and make a fortune. Unexpectedly, many people who have the same plan as me The merchants are all planted here."
He spread his hands: "The situation in various towns is really bad. They ate our goods, but then they drove out many businessmen from other places without paying."
The old man shook his head: "It's good luck, they didn't plan to eat up the caravan from other places." Yang Yang pointed at the young people who were eating not far away: "Those guys are unlucky, not only in the I didn’t bear it in time when I suffered a loss, and I had conflicts with the local town officials, not only did I not keep the goods that were finally shipped, but even the guys who ate.”
The old man refers to the carriages and other items used by merchants.
"Even the guy who was eating was confiscated. Huh, only the clothes on his body were left. The bandits saw that he was well dressed, and they didn't care whether he had money or not, so they dragged him here. Instead, those young people paid him for nothing. I have been whoring for a period of time."
Just now, Keir felt that these businessmen who came to do business and make money were very risky, but he didn't expect to hear such a funny story in the end.
"Didn't those bandits find out that the kidnapped person has no money?"
Kiel asked while wiping his armor and weapons.
"For those who come out to do business, it doesn't mean that the family really has no money, but most of us are not locals. People from other provinces, even if they kidnap and blackmail, it will take half a year at least to come back and forth."
"Haha. So they were lucky enough to meet me?"
"It's good luck."
Hungry and kidnapped young businessmen carried out tables, chairs and iron pots from the houses in the bandit camp, poured clean water and food in, picked up the bandit weapons on the ground, cut off some wooden furniture, and raised set fire.
Most of the rescued people gathered around the fire and the iron pot. Of course, the bandits would not let the kidnapped people eat enough to have the strength to escape, so some people have not eaten for a long time.
They also didn't care about the good things they ate when they were in business before. At this time, they just put what they have, a handful of wheat grains, a handful of wheat flour, a handful of beans, a handful of smashed jerky, and half a salted fish for seasoning.
Gulu Gulu, the food was put down, and it quickly boiled into a pot of cloudy soup.
Keir didn't want to taste the food that he knew was bad at first glance, but the hungry ex-butchers around him, regardless of their original identities, went to get the soup with the wooden bowl in their hand, blowing two I can't wait to pour it into my stomach.
"Young knight, don't you want to eat?"
The old man sat up and also planned to go to eat something, so he asked Kiel who was carefully drying the armor.
Keel shook his head quickly.
He didn't want to eat that unknown soup at all.
-
The middle-aged man Percy Edwin was riding on a tall horse, surrounded by dark woods.
The constant flapping of wings sounded in the surrounding shadows, accompanied by pleasant or dry bird calls.
But he was not afraid, he held up the magic pendant that could emit light, and clutched the gemstone dagger that was very valuable at first glance in his arms, using these things to bring him a sense of security.
Although the horse under his crotch was only trotting, it was running at the same speed as other horses. As soon as the rustling woods made strange noises, it was left far behind.
Speaking behind him, Passy couldn't help but look at the place where the horses behind him put their weapons and luggage.
A set of hunting bows is inserted there, and a metal spear is also fixed on it, but this is not the point, the point is four small boxes tied with ropes.
He knows what's in there.
money, money. money! money! money! !
All ¥% is money, and small valuables.
‘With this money, maybe I can reorganize a caravan to go back? '
Together with this idea, it is like a weed that has taken root and cannot be cleaned up, and it becomes more and more luxuriant.
His hands could not help but grab the reins around the horse's neck as it ran, and his breathing gradually became heavy.
Turning his head to look in the direction of the bandit's lair on the hillside, he muttered to himself: "The bandits owe me this. They tied me here and threw my goods in the wild. This is the bandit's property , is my lost property!"
The more he talked, the more he felt that it made sense, and at this time he turned his head to look at the bandit's lair in the woods. Before, he felt that the burning tower was very hot and dazzling, but now he could hardly see it clearly.
And there was no one around, just him.
In other words, he has a chance.
An opportunity to reverse bad luck from a previous period.
The reins were pulled violently, trying to change the direction of the horse's spontaneous running.
"Turn my head! Change direction!"
The face of the middle-aged Percy Edwin twisted.
-
Rescued people eat their first unlimited meal after being rescued.
After Keir reminded these people not to overeat, which would lead to death, he began to search the bandit's camp.
In addition to the burning tower, there are five or six wooden houses of different sizes in the semicircular bandit camp. The construction of these houses is very random, and it is estimated that the bandits do not have construction personnel, so even if they have a forest that is very close, the houses are in a mess.
Either because the wood was too big, the house was built too high or too big, or it was too small and too short. Kiel had to lower his head to get into the gate, and he had to keep bending over the whole time when searching the house.
Most of these houses are where bandits usually live. That's right, after all, who would live in a dark cave when they have nothing to do? Although these houses are built randomly, at least they can see the sky when they go out, and they can also be exposed to the sun on weekdays.
Kiel threw many stinky clothes of the bandits out of the house. These things were dirty, but at least they kept warm from the cold. Kiel could tell that many of the clothes were snatched by the bandits from the merchants. The material was good, but It just doesn't take care of it well, it looks dirty.
He doesn't wear it himself, but it's fine for many young refugees who only have sackcloth to wear.
Get rid of the parasites on it and wash it well, then you can wear it.
The residence of the bandit leader known only by his nickname Fatty was also in the camp, the largest wooden house.
Perhaps to show his identity as a bandit leader, the height of this guy's house is the kind of oversized wooden house mentioned above that even a ladder can't reach the roof.
It's a mess inside, after two times of looting and rummaging, but there are still the most good things. The iron pots that the rescued merchants cooked at this time were dug out from here, and the furniture and chairs that were split and used as firewood for fire were also dug out from here. from.
It is not difficult to see that the young businessmen who cook have a sense of revenge when they do this.
Keel laughed at the thought.
He first removed the large piece of animal skin hanging on the wall of the wooden house to keep warm, rolled it up and threw it outside the house, and then found several spare weapons of the bandit leader. The weight of these weapons is not small, and they are all made of steel. The Wild Snakes thought they were too heavy to take away, so they left them where they were. After seeing it, Kiel felt that after melting it, he could modify his armor, or reforge a new armor.
After a period of use, this armor has been damaged in dozens of places, especially the bow and arrow shot by the King of the White Wall, which left many scratches on the right side of his body.
Although it looks like a warrior who has experienced battles, for Kiel, clean and good-looking weapons and equipment are more suitable for him.
The main thing is to look good and have momentum.
Lifting off the extra heavy and wide wooden bed of the bandit leader, Kiel stabbed hard towards the wooden floor with his long sword.
Sure enough, I found a secret door that was not easy to find out.
This thing was blocked by the wooden bed, not to mention whether the Wild Snakes knew about this place before, but without Keel's strength, they couldn't lift the heavy wooden bed in a short time.
This thing is dead and heavy, almost like a whole piece of wood. There were traces of rope binding on the wooden bed. Apparently, the bandit leader used this hiding place before, so he had to gather his men and use ropes to pull outside the door to pull the wooden bed away.
Unlike Keir, he lifted it up and threw it aside.
Opening the secret door, a musty smell came out. Keir didn't call it in, he walked out of the house, and ventilated the inside first through the downward passage.
"Master Knight, what are you doing in there?"
Some rescued middle-aged women curiously asked Keir that after eating, no matter whether the food was delicious or not, these people at least regained their vitality and energy.
At this moment, several young people were whipping the corpses of the bandits who stayed here before, venting their grievances about being bullied. It is estimated that they have been tossed by these bandits before.
Kiel took one look and let them go.
"It's nothing, look through the property hidden by the bandits, you see, this is it."
Keir shook a money bag in his hand, and there was a crisp sound of metal colliding inside. He dug it out from various cracks in the bandit's house. There was no extra hidden money in the bandit's leader's room. Apparently, the four boxes containing the property were dug out from the bandit's leader's room. .
"This is our original property!"
When the other party said this, Keir shrugged: "The coins all look the same, who can tell which one is yours? Right?"
A few older businessmen hurriedly pulled the unrestrained guy down, whispered something to the other party, a middle-aged woman was discouraged, sat on the ground and hugged her head, and cried come out.
The middle-aged and elderly businessmen next to her who persuaded her also sighed. They all suffered heavy losses. This one is okay. He was arrested because he was rich when he fled from the southern province to other provinces. Although he also lost a lot of personal belongings, compared with some people who borrow money to do business, it is already much better.
Because this person just has no property, but at least the wealth is a positive number, and some of them used to borrow money to run a business. Not to mention the business failure, they were robbed by robbers. At that time, the house and land had to be sold to pay off the loan.
For a while, the young man beat the corpse of the dead bandit in revenge, while the middle-aged man moaned softly and wiped his tears.
Keir shrugged again, and ran to talk to the old man who was in a good mood.
At this time, the old man was sitting on the only intact wooden chair, UU reading www. uukanshu. A child about ten years old was lying in his arms and fell asleep.
"Is this your grandson?"
Hearing the young knight's question, the old man shook his head and said in a low voice, "It's a rich kid who was captured by bandits. The little guy is so pitiful. If I hadn't taken care of him, he might not have survived until now. The robbers are too careless, children are prone to illness, and the rich and noble life in the past can't bear hardships, but it's a lot of sins."
Kiel leaned down and looked at the ten-year-old boy. His face was dirty, there were food residues at the corner of his mouth, and his figure was very thin. Generally, children of this age can go to the fields to help with work. up.
But at this time, the boy was not only as thin as a wooden stick, but also had several missing fingers.
"His finger?"
The old man shook his head: "When I first came here, the rats in the cave bit me off."
Keel pursed his lips, not knowing what to say.
"And he didn't come here alone, there was a sister of the same age as him, but not long after he was captured, the little girl was tossed to death by the bandits. Hey, I heard that she was thrown into some dead pit, hello A living corpse."
Kiel took a breath and nodded: "I'll go to the cave to have a look. You pay attention to those young people who vent their emotions, don't let them kill the bandits I captured. If something happens, find someone to go in and call me."
The old man nodded, and lightly stroked the head of the young boy who was pretending to sleep but was sobbing softly.
He murmured in a low voice, not sure who he was speaking to: "Don't cry, don't cry, kindness needs to be repaid ten times, and hatred often needs a hundred times to be eliminated and calmed down."
The boy hummed in a low voice, but no one heard it except the old man.