The work of counting the remaining supplies and cleaning the battlefield took more than half a day.
The situation was not optimistic. Four tents were destroyed by a stampede by the snake dragon. Although the poles used for support were randomly obtained from nearby wood, it was difficult to find suitable replacements for the waterproof canvas that was torn by the stampede. Some food, drinking water and personal belongings were damaged, and the originally abundant supplies suddenly became stretched thin.
Although saying this is disrespectful to the deceased, the death of four people has somewhat reduced some of the pressure in this regard. The reality is always cruel. Even if it is safer than war-type mercenaries, it is still a death profession accompanied by danger, so it has higher rewards than other peaceful professions. The novice mercenaries suppressed the feeling of nausea and tried to piece together the complete bodies of the four people from the pile of rotten flesh, bones, internal organs and residual limbs, but in the end they could only make a rough guess.
Although the people of the Southern City-State Alliance do not believe in the White Church, they still have their own set of traditions regarding respect for the deceased.
The only thing left by the four mercenaries that was not crushed was the small mercenary badges made of hard gems and metals. Geronimo took them all off. As the team leader, he returned to The town needs to be responsible for reporting and handing these over to the mercenary guild for cancellation of qualifications in the future to prevent people with ulterior motives from taking over their identities and doing bad things.
The hunting tools they carried were placed next to them. In the evening, everyone collected some wood and put the four people's remains together for burning and cremation. They live and die with weapons. Although they are hunting mercenaries, they are still people who make a living by fighting.
Burial in this kind of wilderness is a stupid behavior. The group of people have seen medium-sized wolf lizards wandering nearby before. In the absence of large stones that can be used to weigh on the grave, the soil The remains of the deceased will only be dug up and eaten by them.
The fire burned for several hours, and in the end there was only a pile of charred, brittle bones and gray-black ashes on the ground. Geronimo and another orange mercenary crushed them with large weapons in their hands. The large pieces of bones were then wrapped in broken canvas, walked to the northern slope, and threw the ashes and the charred weapons into Lake Lorena.
After encountering such a major event, although everyone was not in the mood to think about other things for a while, Snake Dragon was dealt with without delay. It had only been dead for a few hours and had already begun to attract flies and mice. If it dragged on for a while, large carnivores would begin to appear one after another.
After the animal dies, it is very important to remove the outer skin and soak it in water for cooking. The uncooked outer skin will have some carrion fat and appendages such as fur, and it will dry completely after the water loss is complete. , it will also become hard and brittle, without any toughness or softness at all, let alone comfort and defense.
The skin of the Aya Snake Dragon is very large, and just peeling it off takes a lot of time. The opening that Old Juan made with Henry's Claymore helped a lot, and it was extended along it. Cutting and peeling becomes much easier. The mercenaries were professional hunters after all. Even though they lost several companions and were saddened by the undeserved pain the snake dragon had to endure, they did not immerse themselves in it and become depressed. Instead, they quickly changed their mood and divided the work. Collaborate and do the job at hand quickly.
A piece of skin that was completely peeled off had many wounds, presumably caused by sprinting and falling. Due to the pull of the last roll that bent the arrows, the two wounds where the iron arrows were inserted were also opened. It was a little bigger, which made the quality of the dragon skin even worse. If you include the loss of a ballista, a dozen distorted arrows and the casualties of four members, this hunting can be said to be more gain than loss.
The new young mercenaries used wooden-handled brushes made of pig hair to clean the dirt and blood on the skin of the snake dragon, while Old Juan and the other surviving orange mercenary used hunting knives to clean up and down the dirt and blood. With the action of scraping off the meat and fat attached to the inside, the snake dragon meat that fell into the water attracted many small fish to grab it, and the "clatter, clatter, clatter" caused the water surface to flood with white flowers, which was very lively.
After a brief temporary treatment, cleaning and scraping off fat and the like to avoid rotting and smelling, the snake dragon skin was packed up and waited for further fine processing when returned to the town. The remaining huge body was left behind and became a delicious meal for carnivores - no one intended to eat it. Compared with the livestock raised by humans, the meat of the snake dragon tasted older and fishy. This happened. After seeing such a thing, obviously no one would entertain such an idea.
Due to its size, the snake dragon's skin is divided into several parts, and it doesn't take up much space when divided into three carriages. When the past circumstances allow, they usually also remove the bones and other parts. Lead on the road, but today's energy has been seriously damaged, so I decided to abandon those things that are not as valuable as the snake and dragon skin, and return to the city.
The few wolf lizards that had been following them from a distance had waited for so long and finally got their chance. The mercenaries dealt with all this closely and decisively and left quickly in the dark. As soon as they left, A large group of creatures, large and small, that had been waiting for opportunities nearby, quickly pounced on them and started feasting.
All kinds of ghostly beasts and threatening sounds came one after another, accompanied from time to time by one or two high-pitched screams that were obviously from the losing side. Animals are greedy in nature, although a snake dragon can feed several people. Ten wolf lizard-sized carnivores, but no one is willing to share their food with others.
The passing of one life continues many other lives.
Many other creatures that feasted on the body of the dead female snake dragon will continue to reproduce after a full meal, and their offspring may one day become nutrients for other creatures. Nature always has its own unique set of cycles. , only extremely stupid young humans would choose to interfere and destroy everything.
Euphemio was not criticized or reviled too much by others. After making such a big mistake and returning to the mercenary group, he would naturally have his own punishment. Preaching is usually done to make you better, but for this young man who is still careless and wants to ignore this matter by telling some witty words without any intention of repentance, even Lao Juan The novice mercenaries who were at the same time as Euphemio were too lazy to catch him.
Stupid teammates are far more terrifying than powerful enemies. This hunting has taught the novice mercenaries the harshest first lesson. As long as they are not as bad as smart fools like Ofemio, then they will inevitably You will mature quickly, draw nutrients from pain and shock, and go higher and further.
The world is cruel, and extremely dangerous jobs like mercenary work require strict screening standards. The more professional a mercenary group is, the more so it is. They will not keep weak people and waste. If you are not suitable, you will be kicked out of the team and become an individual mercenary. A playboy with a personality like Ofemio who is good at glib words may do better in the political and business circles, but mercenaries The military world has its own set of rules. If you ignore what you should abide by and try to be clever and rely on sophistry to achieve your goals, you will be ruthlessly screened out.
Ofemio's future as a mercenary has been ruined. Everyone in the team, including our little Mira, knows this. Only he himself is still immersed in the kind of sloppiness that can be used to make jokes. I can't help myself from the mentality that I can avoid being punished by building good relationships with other people. This is probably because this person, like other young people in the South, grew up like this in the past.
Human nature is inherently evil, and good children like Mira who can struggle at the bottom of society but still embrace innocence and kindness are extremely rare in this world. Most of the young people in the South like Ofemio would not correct themselves when they made mistakes. Even if they knew it was wrong, they would still make it again as soon as they turned around. This is because they are never punished for making mistakes and can always convince the other party through smooth talk, so there is no need to reflect.
Every family has sutras that are difficult to recite, and the same applies to countries and regions. The people of the poor and war-torn countries on the west coast are living in poverty and suffering from hunger and cold, while the wealthy southern city-state alliance has raised a bunch of young masters who have their own way of talking but do not do practical things.
The world is far broader and more complex than I originally thought. Not just changing one factor can bring about complete changes. If the country's economic level is simply improved and the people will become rich, maybe Avenella will also become like the Southern Territory, full of boastful people.
Touched by this series of things, Mira thought like this - "Huh-huh-" A gust of night wind blew, the torch in her hand was almost extinguished, and the hood on her head was flipped down. A head of white hair fluttering in the wind. "Huh-huh-" "Huh-huh-" Another gust of wind blew, and the surrounding branches began to sway greatly - the weather had some not-so-good changes. We were originally traveling at night, but now Things got even worse.
"Watch the branches!" Geronimo's roar sounded from ahead. The convention not to drive in the wilderness at night is not unreasonable. In bad weather conditions, a team of ten horses, mules and three carriages started from the evening. After dinner, we started to set off. It was about midnight and we had only walked two kilometers. There are no suitable camping spots along the way. The scene in the wilderness at night is completely different from that during the day. Although I had already explored some suitable places to camp when I came here before, at this moment, let alone going there, I even wanted to find that place. Everywhere seems to be quite difficult.
The fire flickered on and off, and the small branches were swayed wildly by the strong wind, which hurt her cheeks. Mira subconsciously half-closed her eyes and used her other hand to protect her face. Then she heard Henry turning over next to her. He dismounted and said to her: "Come down." - Obviously, you can't run very fast on horseback in such weather conditions. Dismounting and walking slowly can give you better control over the situation.
"Wooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. Everyone in the burst of wind had to stand down from their horses. Old Juan, who was in the front group, picked up a long branch and started to explore the way. Due to the flickering of the torches, they had to be more cautious. After all, this was The last thing we need right now is for the entire flatbed carriage to roll over and fall over when we encounter an uneven road.
"Keep the formation tight, don't fall behind! Don't fall behind!" Geronimo turned around and shouted, and a fallen branch was blown over by the strong wind with a "pop--" and slapped his face as he turned around. Mila was flying straight towards our little Mira again. Due to the low visibility, Mila was too stunned to react. However, before being hit in the face by a branch, the sage next to her stretched out her arms like lightning. He reached out and grabbed it with his left hand.
"Put on your hood and be careful not to hurt your eyes with foreign objects." Henry said, and Geronimo, who was slapped in the face by a branch, stamped his feet angrily. The scene of the torch shaking wildly could not escape the others. eye. "Listen!" Old Juan, who was leading the way at the front, suddenly stopped as if he had discovered something. At this moment, his face was burning with pain and he had many troubles today, and Jeronimo yelled angrily: "What are you listening to?" , what the hell is that?"
"No, listen carefully!" Old Juan didn't lose his temper because of his tone. He said this calmly, while the others behind him also listened attentively - making "whooshing" sounds from the wind and "whooshing" sounds. Among the sounds of the swaying plants, there was a faint "plop" sound that was not particularly clear, as if something had fallen into the water.
"Sound of water, what's going on? Do you want to go down the river?" Ofemio, who also came here, still tried to speak to gain a sense of presence, but no one paid him any attention. The young mercenary's face was full of embarrassment. With an expression on his face, Old Juan turned to Jeronimo and said: "One of the suitable places for camping that was surveyed when I came here is under the leeward hill next to the creek, but I'm not sure whether it's safe to camp there now. It’s the right one—”
"There is nothing to hesitate! We have suffered enough troubles today. Heading in that direction, what we need most now is a place to camp that can avoid these damn winds, and the lost fresh water also needs to find a place to camp. Replenish the place, hurry up and lead the way!" A series of events caused Geronimo, who was furious at the moment, to lose any respect for the second-largest figure in the team. He roared at Old Juan like this, while the medium-sized hunter The expert took a breath and didn't care too much about him at the moment.
But this was the case on his side, and the sage who came behind him frowned and raised objections: "I don't think this is a good idea." He said in fluent Lamani: "Shaving like this The wind clearly means another heavy rain is coming, and it will probably be a thunderstorm. Camping by the river in this kind of weather is a very risky behavior. If there is a flash flood, we won't even have time to escape."
Because the wind was so loud, Henry had to raise his voice and said this, but how could Geronimo, who was not even willing to listen to the opinions of the respected mercenary regiment leader Juan, take his opinions as an outsider seriously? .
"Listen, Yankee." The strong captain turned his head and pointed at Henry's chest with his finger. He deliberately used a common contemptuous name for northerners from southerners and said: "You may know that your country has a lot of trouble. It’s a cold and deadly land where eggs are laid, but this is the southern border, and it’s our territory.”
"And you know nothing about the Southern Territory!" He said this, and he didn't know who he was venting his dissatisfaction on, but this sentence received applause from the people next to him: "Well said!" Ou Fimio clapped his hands and shouted. The slap he received from Mira in front of everyone made him completely humiliated. He hated him so much that Henry, who was with Mira, naturally became this young man. The target of the mercenary's hostility, when he saw Henry being ridiculed by Geronimo, he clapped his hands happily as if he had taken a breath himself.
However, even Geronimo just glanced at him coldly, and still no one would pay attention to him.
"Alas -" Henry sighed, and then met Juan's eyes in the flickering firelight.
"Let's take turns keeping watch tonight." He said to the old hunting expert, who nodded, and in front of him, Geronimo roared loudly against the violent wind again:
"Forward!" (To be continued.)
