Even if you have a strong willpower, the winter mornings in Nordic Rolla will make you nostalgic for the warmth of your bed and not want to leave.
The large-scale adventurer's pointed tent carried by the three Henrys was very useful in snowy weather, but at best it only blocked the snow that might fall above the head and formed a space where the heat could not easily dissipate. In addition, the isolation of ground moisture is also extremely important.
Ideally, you shouldn't be lying directly on the ground. It will be much more comfortable to sleep on a bed that is raised off the ground using a wooden frame. Lying directly on the ground without isolation in this cold weather, even if the snow is cleared away, the damp smell will still keep you awake all night. When you wake up the next day, your body will be sore and you will be even more tired.
Therefore, in addition to tents, the most items they carry in large and small bags are warm equipment for winter.
The thick wool felt cloth is not only waterproof and snow-proof as a shelter, but it also has an excellent thermal insulation effect when wrapped around the body. It is paired with a cloak, robe and coat to form multiple layers of isolation, but the innermost part close to the body is a shearling sheepskin of about one meter. This kind of sheepskin is not expensive. After being deodorized and treated in various aspects, it is often used as a warm lining for cloaks or robes. It is also very common to directly use it as a small blanket to spread under the body or cover the body.
Take off your robe, cloak or cotton armor to cover your body. There is also a layer of woolen sheepskin on the innermost layer, and then a thick felt cloth on the outside. Then there is another layer of felt cloth under the body, but under the felt cloth there is also a spruce cushion known as the "traveler's friend".
Spruce is a long-lived, dark green, hardy tree that can be found on both coasts. It has many functions and is an important building material. A quarter of the wood in human society comes from spruce and other fir trees of the same genus. In winter, if you pick or chop branches with thick needle-like leaves and spread them in a thick layer under you, you can still It becomes a very comfortable, soft and moisture-isolating cushion.
In addition, its leaves are picked and boiled in a small pot to make a slightly sour spruce tea that our sage is very fond of.
The burning campfire reflects heat into the tent, and the warm smoke, in addition to heating, also releases the choking part from the top opening. Wrapped in a warm blanket, holding a hot spruce tea in hand; looking outside, outside the tent door shelter, white snow is dancing gently in the sky - such a winter trip, plus there is something to talk about. The companion is indeed very good.
The little unicorn and two horses were placed in the woods, and they used extra felt to give them a sloping snow-proof roof. The three horses cuddled together like this, relying on each other's body temperature to keep warm, and they were very peaceful.
A comfortable and warm bed is the biggest obstacle to getting up in the morning. Fortunately, the residual warmth of last night's campfire is still there. I can quickly put on my shoes and coat in the warm tent, then open the curtain and go out.
There are many things to do after getting up. First, stir the embers to rekindle the fire, and then boil water to make breakfast and wash yourself. After that, you need to check the supplies and take care of the car. If such things are arranged in an orderly manner and the division of labor is clear, they can be solved very quickly. But even so, after all this was done, it was already around 8 o'clock in the morning.
By the time the hot breakfast was finished, the three of them had basically woken up completely. Galeva was recording something as always. Because paper and pen were not cheap, he developed the habit of being concise and concise. His rhetoric and language skills were even higher than those of the local nobles to some extent.
According to the young man's own narration, his family's hotel was originally built after his ancestors became famous through their works as scribes. However, the following generations focused on the management of the hotel. Although the cultural and educational aspects were not left behind, it was just a family tradition.
Based solely on his ability to read and write, Galeva could have pursued a career far better than that of a porter. But his dull and inarticulate character only changes when he writes. In Mira's words, "he becomes a different person when he picks up the pen." He has made several impulsive and stupid actions before, and I'm afraid it's impossible to think about it. What financial sponsor would be willing to hire such a person?
A short travel breakfast is usually soup and pancakes, accompanied by spruce tea, which is simple but satisfying.
After eating, Henry and Galeva began to pack up their things, and the Luoan girl did not show off. After leaving this heavy physical work to two men, she picked up the brigand-style plate armor that the sage had been hit by a crossbow before, took out her sewing kit and began to mend the velvet on it. Cladding comes.
The crossbow arrow, which was not as hard as the plate armor, failed to penetrate the steel plate, but it caused a large scratch on the outer fabric. The plate armor is different from the integrated breastplate. In order to facilitate folding and storage and to flexibly fit the body, there is no connection between the armor pieces that make up it. In other words, the armor pieces are riveted to the fabric, so if the fabric is damaged, it must be repaired at any time, otherwise the entire plate armor may fall apart.
Of course, the dwarf craftsman worked hard not only on the armor, but also on the fabric covering the surface. However, if there are any holes, they should be repaired with stitches. This is actually the case for any armor and weapons. Brand-new armors and weapons will become damaged after a battle and need to be repaired. After a long time, they will eventually become irreparable and need to be completely replaced.
This is a very common thing. So far, the only thing that seems to be so contrary to common sense and cannot be damaged is the Claymore in Henry's hand.
And because it is so strong, our Mr. Sage almost used it as a universal tool in the past.
Use it as a positioning stake when facing an impact, and use it to chop down trees when you don't have an axe. Such a supreme sword should be the dream of all swordsmen, but he used it as such. Although he is his teacher, he is also a swordsman. When Mira thinks of this, she still wants to roll her eyes at him.
The small sword Henry gave her at the beginning has now become the standard backup weapon of the Luoan girl. It's just that although the blade of the dagger is made with the same craftsmanship as Kramer, the materials used are different. Therefore, it is only superior to ordinary swords and has not yet reached the level of indestructibility.
But according to what the sage said, she would be able to obtain a weapon as powerful as Claymore in the future - thinking of this, the Luoan girl suddenly felt a little excited.
Time flew by, and after everything was dealt with, the three of them set off on their journey again.
They walked for more than half a day. Since they were not far from their destination, they had a quick lunch with dry food and then continued on their way. The group of people passed by frozen lakes one after another on the way. When they noticed that the newly appeared lakes were not as severely frozen as others, the wind blowing in front of them already had a hint of salty smell.
Seagulls were circling far away, and several merchant ships were moored at the port. However, further afield, there were some other ships moored at a location that confused the Luoan girl and Galeva.
The two of them habitually set their sights on the sage.
"It's a dry dock." And he answered as expected: "Suo Marina is currently the largest dry dock in the world. Because it is close to the open sea, when winter storms come, ordinary seaports cannot be protected at all. Ship.”
"So we first drive the ship in, and then use a series of mechanisms to drain the water, allowing the ship to stop on land and under the protection of the dock."
"Then what we are here for-" Mira looked at Henry, her eyes bright.
"Well, we are looking for." The sage turned back and looked at the two of them: "A captain who has the courage to enter the rough sea of Northern Rica."
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This will be a long journey that I have never experienced before. Although I have taken a boat several times before, traveling in the inland sea of Morbigas is completely incomparable with traveling to the dangerous open sea like North Ricaro.
They must make full preparations to find a reliable captain and ship, which will inevitably cost a considerable amount of money, but before that, there is still the young soldier's commission that needs to be completed.
The area of Suao Marina is not large, that is, it is about the same size as a small town in Porusaro. This is because most of the residents here are sailors who travel frequently and make a living by hunting blubber-rich whales in the cold North Sea. There are many sporadic whaling stations on various nearby islands, and there is also a place to refine whale oil at one end of the town.
Whale oil is an important raw material for candles and soaps. Many barrels of oil extracted from whales killed here are also transported to the processing plants of the Southern City-State Alliance. The dirty soap workshop that Henry and Mira once visited provided most of the raw materials.
The majority of residents are sailors, and the remaining people in Suao Marina naturally rely on them to provide various services to sailors. Pubs and other various entertainment facilities can be seen everywhere. There are not many private houses but a lot of hotels, which is a characteristic of this town. In addition to these people, the third party in the town is the northernmost military command of the Suomir Kingdom, the Poyus Fortress Command Post, which is in charge of the northern army and navy.
The name sounds very loud. Although the word 'Peyus' just means 'north' in the Suomir language, it still sounds mysterious and powerful to outsiders.
But despite this, the so-called navy stationed at Suao Marina Port is actually nothing more than two fast ships and a large warship renovated from an old merchant ship. Although the army here is quite large, with more than 30,000 people, its equipment and training are very poor. Moreover, like Talwar-Sutta, there is a phenomenon of reselling arms and forming gangs to extort passers-by.
The ocean port has a long history, and wise men have been here in the past. However, the later stories about the garrison reselling supplies and blackmailing travelers were introduced by local people. When asking people about the location of the fortress, the hotel owner who took the tip warned like this. Obviously, similar things are not rare cases. .
But having said that, it’s only some people who are bad. There are many honest people like the young soldier who entrusted the three men with him. Otherwise, the people who were chasing him would have been an entire cavalry unit.
No matter what, they can only hope that the identity of the registered mercenary will have some weight, so that those who bully the weak and fear the strong will not come together to cause trouble.
After leaving the horses and main weapons in a nearby hotel, the three began to walk towards the fortress.
While passing by, they saw an interesting scene.
"Execution, execution, the soldiers who embezzled supplies have been executed! Praise to Sir Shaoli, Earl of Lewinnan, for being fair and wise, and will never tolerate any corruption!" A soldier wearing a light helmet and cotton armor held a gun in his hand. Parchment shouted loudly, attracting many residents to watch. And the Earl of Lewinan he was talking about was what the young soldiers called the noble chief.
If he were still in Padrosi, there must have been a burst of cheers at this moment. But Suomir people are reserved in nature, so people just gathered around and watched quietly.
The Luoan girl who has been in the country for a few months can barely understand the Suomir language, but it is still difficult for her to talk in it - but what attracts her, Henry and Galeva's attention is still the scrawled The soldier's face on the portrait.
"It's the crossbowman from before. So, this gentleman seems to be upright and reliable! Then maybe we don't need to report?" Galeva hesitated, and Mira turned her attention to Henry.
"When you accept a commission, you must complete it properly." The sage said with a slight shake of his head. "That's right." The Galeva chicken nodded like a peck of rice, and Mira noticed that Henry's expression when looking at the poster was not joyful. Although it seemed to those who were unfamiliar with it, it was as calm and cold as ever, but only She noticed that he frowned slightly.
The fortress is located high in the northeast corner of the town. After walking for another 10 minutes and finally reaching it, the sound of the Suomir lily of the valley flag above in the biting cold wind of winter can be clearly heard.
"Stop, mercenary." The soldiers at the door crossed their short spears. The soldiers guarding the city were equipped differently from those who went out. They were not wearing armor, just warm clothes, large shields and spears, which was quite classical. The style of an infantryman of the times.
This is not because the equipment has been resold. Such fortress defenders are quite common in Suomir in winter. The disadvantage of armor is that "it gets colder when it's cold; it gets hotter when it's warm". In addition, even though ordinary soldiers wear light helmets and single-piece breastplates, which are light-weight compared to knights, they can make them tired after being worn for a long time. In order to stand guard for a longer period of time, they wore warm clothing and used large shields as armor.
Shields are useful when guarding narrow entrances. Unlike the convenience of wearing armor when traveling, you can place the shield on the ground at any time when guarding the castle, so this approach is a better choice for long-term standing guard.
"What's the matter?" Our colleagues are enemies, and mercenaries have always been regarded as desperadoes. The attitude of these soldiers does not seem very good.
"We were entrusted by a garrison soldier. This is his token. It is said to be related to corruption in the army. Here is also an important message transcribed by him to report to the Earl." Henry spoke in fluent Suomir As Yu said this, the fact that the three of them did not carry main weapons but only daggers made the rejection of these people not so strong. The two soldiers looked at each other, and then one of them said "Wait here" and turned back and ran into the fortress.
About 5 minutes later, they were allowed to enter.
The earl met them personally in the reception room. He was cleaning the door and summoned a lot of soldiers. A group of three people who happened to bump into the door at this time also naturally joined the meeting. When the three sages came in, the soldiers in the field happened to finish clapping. It was obvious that this white-haired nobleman in his prime had just finished some kind of exciting speech.
"I've received it, I'll beg you to leave." The soldier bowed and left, while Henry and Mira both saluted with the Lamanian etiquette of civilians treating nobles. Galeva fumbled and followed suit, and the count raised a hand: "No courtesy."
The soldiers and officers in the field gathered around the three of them, and so did the count.
The first thing he looked at was his body shape, but after seeing Galeva's restrained appearance and stance that did not fit his status as a swordsman, the count ignored him. Then he looked at the Luoan girl on the right who was wearing an orange card with a calm expression. His eyes lingered on Mira's little face and hair for a while, and finally turned his attention to Henry, who was obviously the leader.
"What are you going to report?" the count said in Lamani.
"It's all written on the file, please take a look." Henry took out the scroll from his pocket, and a soldier came up and took it. He didn't let the sages get close, because even though they were lightly armed, they still carried daggers, and if he wasn't careful, he would be in big trouble if he was an assassin.
The soldier handed the scroll to the earl.
"..." The heroic Earl of Lewinnan untied the knot, and the conference room fell into silence for a long time. He looked at it for a while, his brows getting tighter and tighter.
"I see, so it seems that what I arrested is just one of them. I didn't expect that this rotten part has been so deep-rooted. This good young man has courage! Remembering the place and time of the transaction as well as the missing materials, this is The evidence is conclusive, and everyone involved in the case understands it - well, well, very good, very good. I had a headache when I was arrested before, but now I feel relieved to see that there are still such upright subordinates under my command." Lewin Earl Nan rubbed his chin beard and nodded as he spoke, and his words also made the surrounding soldiers nod their heads.
"Is this good young man recuperating now?" he asked, and Henry nodded: "Yes, he was injured by the villains who were chasing him. He was seriously injured and is still in Oinari Xiao in the north. He took a rest, and after trying his best to tell us the news, he fell into a coma again. The doctor said-"
"I'm afraid I can't hold on anymore." The sage lowered his head with a sad expression. But Galeva and Mira behind them looked at each other, and they both saw doubts in each other's eyes.
'Where is Oinari? These words were written clearly in Galeva's eyes when he looked at Mira, but the Luoan girl just signaled him not to make any other move.
"That's right..." The Earl sighed, then walked a few steps and slumped down on the chair as if he had lost his soul.
"What a respectable and loyal man, but he ended up like this." He said in a sighing tone.
"My condolences, sir, we will not let his death be in vain." The officers next to him also spoke in time.
"Oh, very good, very good. With you here, I still have the confidence to move forward."
"Let's not mention this, trustworthy mercenaries, how much will it take to reward you-" the count said: "Just mention it, although the military expenditure of this Poius Fortress is tight. But even if it comes from my own property, When the reward comes, I won’t wrong you at all!”
He said this, and the sage nodded, but the number he said made the count's eyes widen.
"You are too greedy, mercenary!" The officer who had just expressed his confidence yelled angrily, while the officer next to him persuaded him: "They are mercenaries after all, and they will not do anything for free. ."
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After 20 minutes, Henry, Mira and Galeva left the fortress with the bag containing 20 gold coins.
"Why lie? He has obviously survived, and the location is not right." They headed towards the hotel from the west path, and the Luoan girl cautiously asked in Avenella, and the sage shrugged Shrugging: "I know people but not their hearts, and there must be more than one person present, the Earl."
He answered in Lamani so that Galeva could understand him.
Although the young man was clumsy, he also realized this. He nodded: "That's it, to prevent them from sending people to continue to murder that person."
"What about money?" Mira also changed to Laman language.
"The Earl is so generous, and we deserve it, why not." Henry shrugged again: "Besides."
"Shallow and money-grubbing mercenaries are the best to deal with. If they were truly passionate and honest, they wouldn't let us go so easily."
"——Although that's what I wanted to say, it seems."
"Twenty gold coins may be a bit too much."
The shadows in the alley fell, and a group of people dressed as mercenaries appeared in front of them.
"Huh-" Mira was alert and Galeva turned around in panic. Some people similarly dressed appeared behind them, blocking the escape route.
"What, what's going on?" The young porter nervously grabbed his cheap dagger.
"Nothing happened, just silence. So I said it a long time ago." Henry's eyes became cold.
"This is going to have a cliché and boring ending."
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