,
Because custom-made clothes take time to cut and sew, Henry and Mira stayed in Porousaro for about a week longer.
Even so, they actually couldn't take any time off. The things they bought in the morning were placed in the hotel room. After lunch, the two of them walked to the local mercenary union to register and see if there were any suitable tasks.
Traveling requires money everywhere. Whether it is meals, accommodation or transportation, the accumulated expenses are not small. Coupled with the consumption of various tools and materials, nothing can be done without money.
Even though they are clearly on a mission, the mercenary union has never prohibited mercenaries from accepting more missions. Only when accepting a task, the mercenaries are advised to act according to their ability. As for those who are not willing to accept the task and are unable to complete it, resulting in a breach of contract.
can only say.
No matter where you are in the slums or at the bottom of a large merchant ship, you can always find this kind of decadent and despondent man who is obsessed with his past glory.
The Mercenary Union has never been a charitable organization, as we have mentioned countless times.
Many, many years ago, a group of opportunists came up with a genius idea—manufacturing would become difficult to make a profit, or even be eliminated, as society progressed and spread. Animal husbandry and farming are very dependent on nature. If you think about it carefully, all industries are difficult to last for a long time - but there is one thing that is not like that.
war.
It has not gone away since ancient times and continues to this day, and it seems that it will continue to accompany human history. Since war is such an almost eternal subject, doing this business is obviously not a bad choice.
Struggling to survive in the cracks, the mercenary union that is now blooming in the entire Rigal world is regarded by many as the instigator of war and the source of all evil, but it is an indisputable fact that many people rely on it to survive.
Maybe it would seem a bit unfair to say this because of her position, but based on the Luoan girl's own feelings, after traveling for a long time and having contact with various major forces, she has the least dislike for the mercenary union.
The trade union is an interest organization, an interest organization that sells death and war.
Top men of letters and writers despise it. Throughout the ages, there are countless articles and poems that ridicule mercenaries and mercenary unions as locusts or rat infestations, which are messy and dirty wherever they go - and this is indeed the case. Official mercenary unions still Some of the deeds done by mercenaries listed in the union were so dirty that they themselves were unwilling to record them.
Henry and Mira are unique among them, and they always tend to choose escort missions. In fact, most mercenaries, especially those in groups of three to five, don't like this type of mission, because it has less rewards and unstable risks.
Except for the younger hunting mercenaries, the mercenary union's foundation, those war mercenaries, usually like the type of missions issued by the nobles to "teach such and such a village that is disobedient to discipline" to exterminate. type tasks.
This kind of mission does not require too much thinking, there are no other details except killing or being killed, and the rewards are usually full, and in addition to the income from the mission, you can also loot as much as you want.
Dirty and dark, such words cannot be shaken off no matter what.
But at least it didn't gild itself.
Trade unions are for profit, and everything is clearly for profit.
The mercenaries did not join this for glory, pride, country, nation and belief, but just to make money.
They provide skills, and the trade union provides channels for communication, allowing these otherwise unknown people to have a platform on which they can be entrusted, and both parties get what they need.
From this point of view alone, it is much better than those upper-class people who infect others with fanaticism, incite war in the name of religion or country and nation, use others to work for their lives and enjoy the benefits themselves, and the forces and organizations they create. .
If you want to sort out the language and find out the origin of this "relatively better" conclusion, it must ultimately boil down to the reason of "freedom of choice."
Like our sage and the Luoan girl, or the many people we have met in the past, after you join the guild and become a certified mercenary, you can subjectively choose the mission tendency you want to choose.
Those who do not want to be enemies with others can become hunting mercenaries. Even those who are more involved in human society can choose various transportation and escort-oriented tasks instead of direct massacres and battles.
This kind of freedom of choice is difficult to be given by other forces.
Human beings are good at judging people by their appearance. They make a stereotype based on skin color, language, and culture before getting to know the other person. This kind of empirical thinking of inertial thinking has its own benefits, but when a major event related to national feelings or religious beliefs occurs somewhere, among the fanatical crowds, you rarely have the ability to make a choice. Opportunity.
"Those who follow me will prosper, and those who go against me will perish."
If you don't join the trend and move forward, you will become a stumbling block in its path, swept away and submerged in the unstoppable current.
Although mercenaries still have this problem, they can't get rid of their bloodline and origin. But they at least still have freedom of choice.
The process of going to the union was lackluster. After completing the registration skillfully and looking around and finding that there were no suitable tasks, the two decided to wander around the town.
It’s not that there are no tasks, it’s that there are no suitable tasks.
The sage frowned slightly.
As the handover point between Padrosi and Suomir, and also a port, the frequent visitors to the Porusaro Union Board are naturally required to perform various escort tasks. When Mira and Henry checked in, there were still quite a few, ranging from individual businessmen and tourists who wanted to hire some lower-level mercenaries to travel together, to large-scale missions with level-limited requirements issued by large business groups. The issuers, amounts, number of requests, and destinations are all different, but there is only one thing in common——
They all go south.
There is no mission to go north.
Of course this couldn't be a coincidence, in fact there was no need to even ask the staff. When Henry walked to the counter, he looked up and saw the staff member who took the initiative and said, "The mission to Suomir is gone -"
Then he took Margaret's letter, and when he saw the sage's name, he stopped talking and did not continue.
Clearly something is going on.
With such thoughts in mind, the two of them wandered around Porusaro. When they came to their senses, they were lured by the scent of ink to a printing room.
Unlike the highly developed commercial cities of Southland or Parnilla, Porusaro's books come directly from the printing shop, and there are no gorgeously decorated bookstores for you to choose from.
Printing houses usually also perform papermaking functions.
Entering from the spacious entrance, there is a stone sink on the left, which is soaked with plant fibers used for papermaking. The soft fibers that have been soaked for a long time are floating in the water, making the entire sink look like it is filled with milk. The stock is thick white.
Workers use a fine-mesh sieve to fish out the original paper, fold it into a pile, and then put it under a wooden press with a rocker to squeeze out the water. After it is completely dried in the shade, it becomes usable paper.
Like the hotel where the two stayed, the printing shop in Porusaro is also run by a family. The person in charge of papermaking is their eldest daughter, a woman in her twenties with some freckles on her face. She wears a headscarf on her head to prevent her long hair from affecting her work. The son-in-law or eldest son of his family does the hard work. In addition, there is the second daughter who works as a helper. She is about eight or nine years old, but she is very agile in doing the work.
The printing aspect is personally controlled by the old printing shop owner. With his gray beard, he looks like a typical Laman old man. He is obviously an educated person, because the printing plate placed on the counter on the right is composed of small letters. Movable type printing requires considerable education. But even people who don't understand the difference in printing methods will immediately think that this is a knowledgeable person when they see the small round glasses with brass frames on his nose.
The printing shop apparently did not receive frequent visitors.
Especially visitors dressed as mercenaries - the arrival of Henry and Mira made them stop what they were doing. The printing shop owner turned around, then took off the small glasses on the bridge of his nose and blinked. Eyes to readjust to focus.
"Are you lost?" He hesitated for a moment, then said this.
"This is a bookstore, let's take a look at what's available." The sage raised his hand and pointed at the few wrapped books inside. The old man was stunned for a moment, and then nodded stiffly.
"Okay, let's take a look and see what's available for purchase." His tone and the atmosphere of the entire printing shop made Mira feel a little strange. The Luoan girl, who couldn't hide her worries, frowned. The bookstore owner felt that unlearned mercenaries would not have any thoughts about books other than selling them, so it was common for him to show his disdain. thing. But this boss is different.
The best way to describe the feeling he gives people is "numb".
Mira looked at her teacher. Henry glanced at the top of the cabinet as he walked towards the small bookshelf. His eyes swept across the typesetting to the densely packed printing plate, and landed on something else next to it. above, and then stopped——
Throughout the ages, articles with pictures and texts have always been the most popular, so in addition to letters, printing shops often also have various engravings.
Mira followed his eyes, but just frowned.
"Is she a nun?" She asked Henry in Avenella. Avenella, who was born in a country where the White Church did not have much influence, even if she had some contact later, could not compare to someone who was born and raised in a religious country. Mira felt a little familiar in her doubts, as if she had seen such a female figure kneeling down and praying somewhere before.
Henry did not answer, but just stared at the print in silence for a while, and then asked the printing shop owner in Lamani: "Is this an order from Suomir?"
"Uh--" The old man who returned to work was stunned for a while, and then nodded: "Yes, the amount of requests was so large that we were a little overwhelmed, so I was not very good at greeting you. I'm very sorry." He said, This explains the fact that they have their hands full. Henry nodded, and then randomly selected a thin picture album from the bookshelf: "How much does this cost."
————
————
After buying the picture album, the two of them walked towards the hotel.
"You promised to tell me when you get here." Mira was a little unhappy. She didn't hate Henry's precious words, but she just didn't like this kind of thoughtful silence.
"She is from Suomir, and was added as a saint by the Yetina Sect after her death." The sage continued to explain in Avenela language. There were many pedestrians on the road, and many people responded when they heard the unfamiliar language. He turned his head and looked this way.
"But this kind of print should have been banned for some reasons." Henry said, and Mira looked at his thoughtful expression and those gray-blue eyes, and somehow she asked such a question by mistake. One question: "What's her relationship with you?"
"" Henry was silent for a long time. He just stretched out his hand and touched her head without answering.
"What a terrible adult." The Luoan girl said this with anger for the first time in a long time.
"Yes, he is a hopelessly bad adult." The sage shrugged, and then smiled softly.
There was a slightly awkward silence on the walk back to the hotel, which was a rare situation between the two of them, but it was all covered by some movement in front of them - the sound of people arguing, first of all, Suomir, then changed into the less standard Lamantic language.
"No matter what! This is a guest of my house, stay away!" The tall young man roaring loudly was Galeva, who he met by chance in the morning, and Mira then remembered the horse-loving boy Il from the hotel. When they came back at noon, Ma Li said they were "going to deliver food to his brother and the others." This was a perfect coincidence. There were several hotels in Porusaro, and they happened to stay at the hotel owned by Galeva's family. .
But this tall young man was not looking for trouble with them this time. He opened his arms to protect his brother and mother, but he was standing in front of the stable.
Irmali was held in the arms of the hotel proprietress. There were tears on his face, he was obviously frightened. Although Galeva stopped in front of his relatives, his forehead was still dripping with cold sweat.
After all, he was just a porter. Although his Suomir bloodline gave him a reliable physique, he could only do some hard work.
"Are you licking your face to please the nobles of the empire? Where have you thrown all the bones of the Northlanders?" The voice that sounded was as cold as a snowstorm. The man was no worse than Galeva in height and was wearing a Henry suit. The brigand-style plate armor that Mira also had, but the color was burgundy. Her black hair was tied into a ponytail at the back of her head, and there were thin lips under her high bridge of nose, but what attracted the most attention and made the guests of the hotel and the surrounding townsfolk fearful, and made Galeva drip with cold sweat—— —
It was the same one who clearly carried the order prohibiting the carrying of weapons, but still carried it on his back with great arrogance——
"Klemmer——" Henry read out the word, and Irmali smiled when he saw the two of them coming over with tear-stained faces. Galeva turned his head and glanced at them, and the man with the big bag on his back The Suomir mercenary with the sword turned around.
"Oh, are you the guy who protects the pet of the southern noble? Another piece of trash who sold his own bones and was willing to be a lackey." He noticed at a glance the clothes of the two people and the tags on their waists, and spoke with a merciless sword The soldier's face was cold: "I don't like to attack civilians, but my colleagues said otherwise."
"The ugly words are ahead. I'm going to decide that horse. If you don't know what to do, stand down." He stretched his hand towards the big sword behind his back.
"I will never see the sun tomorrow again."
"" Henry stood there silently.
"Really? It seems that you chose death, which makes me admire you a little."
"As you can see, this is a Claymore." The heavily armed Suomir mercenary said word by word to the sage who only wore light clothing and carried a dagger.
"Stigmatized, banned, expelled, and yet still."
"Our faith." "Qiang——" He pulled it out, the bright white blade flashing and reflecting in the sun, and the inverted V-shaped guard had many brass decorations.
"If you are careless, you will be cut in half -" he said, and then directly attacked Henry.
