The Crant Kingdom town of Chester, which is very close to Avenella, does not have many things worth experiencing. Due to poverty, the mercenaries can accept very few commissions. Therefore, after only staying for three to four days, the two decided to go south again.
Following the road we took last time, we headed south without turning west. As the terrain began to gradually become higher, various low shrubs besides reeds also began to appear one after another.
Up to this point, the area the two of them were in still belonged to the Ridela area among the Sivalier population, but it was already the last section. The length of the Ridela Wetland in the north-south direction is far less than that of the Ecasta Plain, but due to the direction of the Tambur Mountains, it is quite wide in depth.
The five local kingdoms, large and small, all have territories spread here. If you go from east to west, it will take a longer time to enter the territory of another kingdom. But Henry and Mira did not intend to go to the west, because no matter which kingdom's territory in the wetland area was quite poor, the population was sparse, and the flow of people was low. Whether it is the purpose of tempering Mira or the various commissions required as a mercenary, the Ridela region cannot meet their needs.
A barren, steamy purgatory, the people here are still as aggressive as the rest of the West Coast.
Counting the rest together, the two of them finally truly left the wetland on the twentieth day after passing through Duange Canyon. Just as they walked out of here, they heard the sounds of killing and the sound of metal colliding in the distance.
Blood splattered everywhere and wept bitterly.
Both sides of the battle were not really elite soldiers. Except for a few who held iron swords, the rest all used agricultural tools such as axes and hoes.
Young, old, strong and skinny. Without any cooperation or discipline, everyone just randomly smashed the weapons in their hands at the opponent's head, neck and chest until the opponent was beaten to the ground, bleeding like a river and unable to move.
"..." Mira, who had grown up a bit, still couldn't face all this completely calmly, so the two quickened their pace. The higher ground in the south has begun to have harder soil. The rattan riding whip flicked, the war horses neighed, and the surrounding scenery began to quickly recede behind them.
Mira learned to ride a horse a month ago. The blood of the Luoan people as a fighting nation also existed implicitly in her body. With excellent talent and down-to-earth hard work, the girl quickly absorbed all kinds of knowledge related to her future destiny like a sponge after meeting Henry.
The sun streaked across the sky. In just one day after leaving the Ridela area, they had traveled a distance that would have taken them two to three days in the swamp.
In addition to the soft ground and inability to exert force, another reason is that the sound of horses running will attract dangerous predators. There may also be various traps such as natural puddles in the swamp.
After the light gradually dimmed, the two of them approached the edge of a small forest and stopped.
The fine waterproof fabric soaked in tung oil that was folded and stored on the horse was taken out. Henry cut down several small trees with Kramer and cut them into wooden sticks as supports. He then fixed the fabric with hemp rope. A temporary tent was made on the slightly larger tree trunk.
Mira naturally started gathering firewood and setting up the iron pot. With horses, they can carry quite a lot of various tools and supplies. The girl recalled that when they first met, they were traveling in the plains of Ecasta and living in a wild environment. Unknowingly, they already had quite a lot of resources. Change.
The sound of "cracking" wood burning began to flash together with the orange bonfire. The ground here was still a little damp, but the flame was still successfully ignited.
"Take it." Mira pulled out the cork from the seal of the huge soft leather water bag, and then poured the water into the iron pot with a splash.
"Here." Henry on the side took off a not too big sack from the horse. Mira took it and opened it. It was full of crystal clear rice.
"Can I just put it in and cook it?" the girl asked, and the sage nodded.
The other horse was led closer by Henry, these tame animals still frightened by the fire. So don't let them get too close. Another advantage of keeping horses on the periphery is that they can act as guards when resting. Horses used for riding still remain quite wild even after being tamed, especially war horses that have been carefully selected. Horses sleep standing up at night. If wild animals or strangers approach, they will become restless.
This small forest is very sparse and not very large, so thieves or coyotes can approach from any direction.
The five barren kingdoms have been at war all year round, and most of the displaced people have become robbers and thieves. Adding to the vicious cycle, it is natural to not be able to sleep peacefully at night in this area.
The last ray of light finally disappeared in the distance, leaving only the flickering firelight as illumination. Mira took out the dried salted fish wrapped in a huge cotton cloth from the largest leather bag on the back of her white horse with many spots on it. This kind of fish was exactly the same as Avenella's and could be stored for a long time. The food flavor can only be regarded as average. She took out a few small branches of suitable size that she had deliberately selected when collecting firewood, and rinsed them. Then he inserted the dried fish and leaned against the fire.
A bonfire was heating rice porridge and dried fish at the same time. The girl, who had no intention of taking any time off, took out a hard-covered book and began to study by the light of the fire.
The heat in the iron pot rises slowly. The white-haired girl who was reading seriously next to the campfire occasionally used a wooden spoon to stir the food, add firewood or turn the dried fish over. The tall black-haired sage behind her was concentrating on wiping his sword with linen cloth.
Life is simple and fulfilling. Although there are not many ups and downs, such days are also very enjoyable.
Time passed by calmly.
The moon sets and the sun rises.
day to day.
The surrounding environment continued to change, and the reeds began to disappear at some point. With more and more teal and tender green trees and shrubs appearing around. The wild grass and flowers swaying gently in the spring breeze kept talking, and the white-haired girl finally realized that spring was coming.
The same scenery she experienced when passing through the Lidela area did not give her such a realistic feeling.
The road ahead looks quite smooth, the gentle and cool spring breeze blows from a distance, and the emerald green branches and leaves make a "swishing" sound - all of this makes people feel relaxed and happy.
There are already many more pedestrians here than in the wetland area behind. Looking from a distance at the end of the dirt road in the forest, you can still see the crimson city wall. There are many carriages and traveling merchants carrying huge rattan baskets. The two passed each other. Heading towards the hinterland of the kingdom to the west.
——This is the first true city-state in the central part of the Krant Kingdom. Because it is located on an important transportation thoroughfare, it can be considered prosperous.
"This is probably Aibut. The branch of the first mercenary guild in the south is here. Let's go say hello and see if there are any commissions we can get." Henry turned to Mira and said this Saying that, the girl nodded in agreement.
Foreign mercenaries like them are not common in Aibut, because they are not too rich, even if they have a commission. Most of them are solved by local people.
Travelers were rare to begin with, and the two men, one large and one small, who were fully armed and riding tall horses, and had completely different appearances from the locals, attracted a lot of attention as soon as they entered the city. Black hair and white hair appear to be unique in the southern area where red hair, brown hair and blond hair are all common. However, people who understand that they have nothing to do with each other just look at each other for a while and then go on to do their own things.
There are no checkpoint guards or checks in Aibut City. Even if there were, the two men riding horses and wearing blue mercenary badges could just drive straight in.
Mercenary guilds also have part-time functions like security stations in many areas. After all, as long as they have money, they will release any bounty. Naturally, part of the privileges of the mercenaries came with the tacit approval of the local lords.
Mercenaries find work here, and the lords allow them to exist. They would pay taxes and fees to the lord and solve some problems in the territory, and each party would get what they needed.
Horse hooves trampled on the solid dirt ground. The two horses haven't had their shoes replaced for a long time because they walk on soft mud. If the ground is paved with stone slabs everywhere, such as Prosper in West Valliers in the north, the frequency of shoe replacement will be much higher.
Mira looked around curiously. It seemed that the merchants on the side of the Krant Kingdom were more carrying huge rattan baskets than carriages to do business. This may have something to do with the fact that its road is not so easy to walk. The girl saw many stalls on the roadside. On the stalls were hanging rows of things that were exactly like carrots, but they were white.
There are also many people selling the rice that they have been eating since coming to the south. They served it in large square wooden tubs with small wooden spoons inside. Mira glanced at it and saw that everyone's wooden spoons were the same size. They must be sold by quantity in this way.
There are many fresh freshwater fish and shrimps on the market. There were also small crabs and turtles, and the girl even saw a small crocodile tied tightly with hemp rope at a stall.
"Humans really... can eat anything." She sighed in a low voice, and Henry in front didn't know if he didn't hear it, but continued to lead the way towards the center of the city.
They didn't ask for directions. The location of the mercenary guild in each city-state is roughly the same. It will probably be found near the city center. You can find this highly recognizable building by walking through the market and heading inside.
"Look." The two continued to walk forward, and many passers-by looked sideways. Henry slowed down, turned his head and gestured in a certain direction.
The girl followed his instructions and looked over, seeing a somewhat unique stall with a lot of armor and weapons on display.
She first suspected it was a blacksmith. However, most of these metal weapons are rusty, most of them have chips and curled blades, and some are even broken and twisted in the deeper corners - a blacksmith would never treat his products like this.
The same goes for weapons and armor. Many of the mails were incomplete, and the iron plate-type protective gear was also dented and twisted.
Naturally, the quality cannot be considered to be of the highest quality, and it looks like it should be something that some lower-level mercenaries would wear - Mira turned her questioning eyes to Henry.
"This is the equipment of the mercenaries who were defeated or died in the battle. Maybe there are some noble knights among them." The sage shrugged and explained: "After the death, the things were stripped off and sold for money."
"This situation is very common in war-torn areas like this." His tone was calm, but Mira behind him was silent for a while.
"It's so tragic..." The girl sighed, her voice was not high, but the sage in front could obviously hear it, because he shrugged again.
"That's why we have to be careful, at least not to fall into this situation."
As he spoke, the two of them walked out of the market as soon as he finished speaking. After turning another intersection, the Mercenary Guild with a sign in Common Language appeared in front of them.
…
R: Double update today. (To be continued.)
