The sweaty drunkard was dragged out by two guards who kept muttering complaints. After the tavern owner kicked the drunkard hard, he called a young handyman, pointed at the drunkard and the guards, and then The young man went out with the guards.
"My dear lord, here are three Denier silver coins of fair quality." The tavern owner returned to the counter with a gloomy look, bent over and rummaged in his money bag for a while, and finally stood up. , placing three silver coins that were shining brightly under the firelight on the oil-stained counter table.
Simon said nothing, just glanced at the fat man. The fat man thought for a moment, then put down his hands on his waist, with a relaxed smile on his face.
"There is no problem, young master, just accept it. According to the current price offered by slave traders on the market, a strong man like that drunkard can buy it for two Denier silver coins."
"Yes, yes, sir, I'm sorry to frighten you. Wine is a good thing, and sometimes it can make people forget all their worries, but it is also a bad thing, and sometimes it can make people who are drunk drunk give up in a daze. "My own life," the tavern owner forced out an ugly smile. The silver coins Simon just accepted seemed like the flesh he had just cut off his perky belly. "That damn drunkard is lucky to meet him." I am such a kind-hearted shopkeeper and a compassionate Lord."
"Well, if there's nothing else, I'll go back to my room and rest first." Simon patted the dust on his shoulders without interest, turned around and walked towards the stairs of the tavern. He obviously no longer wanted to talk about this terrible incident.
At this time, after the brief panic just now, the drinkers sat back on the benches, ordered more beers, and talked loudly and laughed about what had just happened. The bad-tempered drunkard seemed to have become a clown. What he had just done seemed to be just a funny show for the drinkers, and then he became a topic of conversation and an object of ridicule after dinner, nothing more.
The tavern returned to its previous noisy state, and several new drinkers pushed in. If no one else had mentioned it, perhaps they had no idea what sword fight had just happened here. The bard once again played the lute that had traveled with him to all parts of the continent, and sang an impassioned hymn to knights.
The torches on the wooden pillars of the tavern danced together with a few townspeople who were good at singing and dancing. The vibration caused the dust on the huge bear skin hanging on the wall to shake off, and the smoke filled the tables of the drinkers. between meals. But no one cared about this. They still ate the food on the plate, swayed to the rhythm of the song and dance, and drank the cider and beer from the wooden cups.
Just as Simon was about to step onto the old wooden stairs, a slightly nervous and timid voice stopped him.
Simon turned around impatiently and saw a man wearing a thick fur hat, a slightly old leather jacket with fabric, a pair of clean leggings, and a rusty dagger at his waist. middle-aged man.
"Hey, what do you want to do!? Stay away from me!" The fat man looked at the middle-aged man dressed as a businessman cautiously, scolded him, and put his hand back to the short ax on his waist.
"No, no, no, I have no ill intentions. I'm just a businessman passing through Cologne. I want to talk to this gentleman about something." The middle-aged man quickly raised his hands to indicate that he had no weapons or ill intentions, and stepped back. Two steps.
"Oh, what good can a businessman usually come to do? Either they are here to collect debts or lend money, or they are here to sell his bullshit products with extremely high premiums. If you are here with one of these two purposes , I advise you to get out of here right now, maybe you can save yourself a beating!" The fat man didn't have a good impression or a good tone towards the businessman, he just looked at the businessman with a look of disgust on the businessman who had cold sweat on his head, as if this businessman If he dared to make any suspicious move of drawing a sword, the fat man would not hesitate to draw an armed ax and chop his head off.
"Dear Sir, please calm down. Are you heading south? I actually want to ask this brave gentleman to help escort my caravan. Well, I mean, accompany me. It's okay to walk for a while." Seeing the fat man's face getting darker and darker, the businessman stammered a little and broke out in a cold sweat.
"So what? Wait, are you entertaining us? Have you ever seen a noble serving as a guard for that lowly caravan?" The disgust on the fat man's face turned into anger, and he was gearing up to look at the businessman eagerly. "It seems that some people have been living at ease for too long and want to have some excitement. Just in time, I can teach this clueless guy like you a good lesson!"
"No, it's not what you think. Sir, I can give you money, which is higher than the remuneration for escorting caravans in the market." The businessman was simply frightened, and his voice was obviously trembling, "Or put it another way. , I will spend a sum of money to let my caravan follow your team for a while. As long as we pass Mainz, it is entirely up to you whether you want us to leave."
Simon was a little interested, but he didn't show it. He just asked expressionlessly: "Cologne is a big town. I guess there must be many waiters in this pub and other pubs who are willing to do this job." And the Swordsman. But what’s puzzling is, why do you want to talk to me about this matter when I’m very likely to reject you?”
"To be honest, Sir, I saw you and your servants when you checked in this afternoon. I bet that you are definitely good at fighting." The businessman licked his chapped lips. He continued, "Of course, there are mercenaries and mercenaries who are proficient in fighting here, but some bad things have happened recently. The Principality of Lower Lorraine, not far from here, is shrouded in war. What's going on in Cologne now? There are both liars and thieves, it’s really a mixed bag. Some treacherous and cunning guys mingled among them dressed as gangsters and swordsmen, took the money, but quietly escaped when the caravan needed protection, causing us to suffer huge losses.”
"So?" Fatty still had a bad tone, but his tone was a little calmer than before.
"So I thought, instead of taking the risk of hiring a liar and leaving me with nothing, I might as well spend more money and follow a reliable nobleman for a while."
Simon squinted his eyes in thought. Anyway, he didn't lose anything. According to him, they were just following him for a while. They could go their separate ways when they arrived in Mainz, and he could also get a lot of escort money.
"Okay, I agree. But if you dare to play any tricks, I promise I will hang your neck on a tree and swing on a swing!" Simon still didn't trust this middle-aged businessman who seemed harmless to humans and animals.
"That's great, Sir, I swear I have absolutely no tricks to use." The businessman's wrinkled and haggard face broke into a bright smile, "My little caravan is now in the city for repairs and purchasing supplies. , Master, please let us know when it is convenient for you to set off, and we will go together."
"The morning after tomorrow."
………………
The next morning, on the streets of Cologne that were filled with human and animal excrement, Simon was leading Fatty and his group to buy food at street shops.
"It should be them." In the dark and damp alley on the street, a man wearing an animal skin hat, a dirty and tattered stuffed suit, an armband, and a pair of animal skins that were so worn that his toes were exposed. The bearded man in boots looked back at Marcy, who tiptoed to the entrance of the alley, holding on to the moss-covered wall, looking at Simon and the others from a distance.
"Yes, it's them. There aren't many people on the street now, and many of the guards at the city wall are listless. I could still hear them drinking and playing dice late last night," Massi waved. , the sly-looking Koumat also came over, his greedy eyes sparkling, "I think we and our brothers will surround them silently now, kill them by surprise, and then quickly peel them off." They grabbed their equipment, then dispersed and fled, meeting up in Flo's darkroom."
"By the way, if the leading noble wants to live, he can still get a generous ransom!" Komaite added.
At this time, Simon was completely unaware of the danger. He was sending Fatty and Miller to wrap the food they had just bought tightly in a large piece of clean linen, and then put it on the horse held by Gabriel. Behind the packhorse.
"Huh?" Gabriel noticed that some random guys had appeared on the streets that were not spacious, and most of them had weapons hanging from their waists.
"Master Simon," Gabriel calmly walked up to Simon who was paying the merchant, "We are being targeted. There are at least a dozen of them."
"What? Damn it!" Simon also noticed those guys with weapons hanging on their waists and looking at his group of people maliciously from time to time.
This is no game. There are only four people on Simon's side, but there are more than a dozen people on the opposite side. If you are surrounded by a dozen people who stalk the streets in an open place like the street, even if you don't die, you will have to take off a layer of skin and be captured by the other party.
But at this time, Simon noticed the narrow stairs leading to the second floor of the house in the merchant's shop, and he had an idea for a while.
