The room was hot, noisy, and smoky, almost like a riverside hotel from a few days ago. Two musicians with elf characteristics played the harp, and the mercenaries talked about their own things. The doctor Klea was nowhere to be seen, and the bard Saudi who reported the news was sharing a blue drink lip-to-mouth with a girl. At the end of the table farthest from them, Balthazar was holding a pipe and looking attentively at a gemstone ring.
Even if the mercenary leader was unhappy about the loss of men, he didn't show it. The leader of his team of adventurers still enjoyed the wine and music, and invited the three apprentices to sit down together. Before Uriel had time to refuse, Balthazar had already waved his hand, asking the nearest adventurer to hand him a glass of wine.
"You haven't seen it, Uriel, these are my brothers. Kegan, Rory, and Dybridge. The ones playing the music over there are the Plagris brothers. Edward is being treated, he's injured a little. "The mercenary leader introduced proudly, "They are all professional veterans."
Uriel recognized them one by one. "Six-fingered" Kagan is missing two fingers on each hand, can't hold a cup firmly, and has wine stains all over his pants. "Block-faced" Rory has a particularly thick arm, and he looks like he was once a blacksmith. In addition, his forehead was covered with scars, as if he had been bitten by a monster with jagged teeth. The Plagris brothers are exactly the same, they are twins of the mist elves. Their playing techniques are comparable to those of the bard Saudi, at least the apprentices cannot hear the difference. They were so good-looking that the female mercenaries in the room looked back frequently, intoxicated by the joy brought by the music and their beautiful appearance. No wonder Saudi Arabia doesn't look for female companions in the mercenary group, Uriel understood.
Balthazar is the pilot of the ship, and the other small leaders are the captains of each ship. Mysterious creatures naturally have the ability to clone themselves, but they are not used in this regard. He delegated duties to trusted adventurers and managed the entire mercenary group through them, greatly improving efficiency. This was the approach of the Royal Army, and not only was it imitated by the war mercenaries, but it was also done even more beautifully. Of course, the shortcomings of doing this are also more serious. Selin Kalemu is suspected of being connected to the School of Silence. At the cocktail party after signing the agreement, Balthazar bluntly told Uriel why his mercenary group had grown.
"The mercenary group that is short of manpower has to change its profession." He confided, "Large-scale wars don't care about the power of one or two mysterious creatures, unless they are big people who have crossed the path of death. I have no choice but to annex the remnants of the companions and happily accept the offers of all parties. Spy. If you ask me, adventurers end up going to the battlefield to die anyway. After turning into corpses, what else do you have to worry about?"
That being said, Uriel would not be stupid enough to believe it. "Windspeaker" Aldinite is still bitter about Yasukawa leaving without saying goodbye. From him, you can see the attitude of the paper clip mercenary. Wealth is cohesion, but a regiment leader who only relies on wealth cannot be loved for a long time. The mercenaries will fight for him, not die for him.
"Is Mr. Edward's injury okay?" He sat next to the mercenary leader, Dalton on the right. York said hello and moved a stool to listen to the song. The orange-faced person is not very interested in the next strategy. He will raise objections where he doesn't like it, but it is really difficult for him to come up with a new plan. Uriel could probably grasp his thoughts, so it would be better to let him have some fun in his free time after the battle.
"Don't worry, the only thing that can kill him is cutting off the supply of twine and smoking." Balthazar twisted the ring, "Injury is a part of our daily life, just like the sun rising. No one can guarantee safety in battle. When he comes back, we will Let’s get down to business. Do you mind, Uriel? That’s what we always do.”
"Of course not." Although he was eager to confirm the Paperclip Mercenary Group's plan, it was more beneficial to show patience at this time. "I was just trying to fill my stomach first."
"Of course you need to replenish your stamina to wield such a long weapon. You see, we mercenaries don't use that kind of thing. Sometimes when we get into trouble, it's really inconvenient to run away with a big piece of iron."
"That makes sense. I just did it out of personal interest."
"Your opponent, that unfortunate guy, you should know him, right?"
Uriel held the spoon and considered whether to use his spiritual vision to answer Balthazar's question first. In the end he felt it was unnecessary. "Actually, I didn't see his face."
"We don't identify him based on his face. Only the gods can recognize a ball of paste." The mercenary leader smiled. "That knight is from Danlau and is somewhat famous among the adventurers. Have you heard of the Judge?"
"Sounds like an Inquisition judge."
"The Church of Gaia and the Glorious Council are both religious groups with similar structures. Gaia also has judges who specialize in judging heretics. Most of these people are demon hunters who have been on duty for many years, so they are much stronger than ordinary cross knights. .”
"I feel it now."
"The same goes for the Assassins you encountered at Danlau, Uriel," Balthazar told him. "They were all Judges. Judges of the Church." He paused briefly. "Judge of Heretics."
Uriel said nothing. He had never heard of such a person in the outside world. Of course, there are no demons in the surface world, so there is no need for demon hunters and judges. The mercenary leader's reminder came in time. No wonder these people were much stronger than the Nightingales they had seen before. "Demon hunters should hunt demons, not get in my way."
"This is always the case. No matter how legitimate your reasons are, the church must defend its honor. The best way is to negotiate through the tower, but you obviously considered this route and then gave up." Balthazar Not knowing the true purpose of the apprentice. He thought Uriel was seeking justice for Bishop Payton Forest's crimes. He thought that was a good thing. "I understand you, man, the more people involved, the further the end result is going to be."
"If I choose to negotiate, this matter will be fruitless. Nothing will change."
"But the war has changed more things than you think, Uriel." The mercenary leader lowered his voice, "Give me a guarantee, my friend, that this is your personal behavior and does not involve the mysterious fulcrum at all?"
"It's hard for me to draw a clear line between myself and the tower, Balthazar, you understand. Your team needs the support of the Gem Guild, but you don't need to rely on them to find an employer. Is that the truth?"
Balthazar nodded. "Indeed. The tower is not the Oath Keepers Alliance, and things on land have little to do with you." This was the truth, but Uriel was not sure that he was completely relieved. We all have concerns. After all, the mercenary leader is not Calder, let alone Dalton and York. The apprentice must keep the secret. In Balthazar's eyes, the Tower Messenger had almost no connection to the Church of Gaia except for his profession and his old feud with Eastman. If the mercenary leader realized that Uriel planned to cleanse the church, he might not be so calm and composed.
Someone entered the room and asked the adventurer on the outermost side for a pipe. This was a short man, only half the height of the Crusader whom Uriel had defeated, and his thick coat of studded fur made him a little stooped. He had sticky curly hair on his head and was holding a bone staff with a smile on his face. Even so, his feet barely touched the ground as he walked. After he got the pipe, he started wandering around the place leisurely, and even asked Sita to borrow a fire. A fog elf put down his harp and said something in Elvish. He tilted his head in confusion, and York laughed.
Finally, the guy wandered over and sat down next to Balthazar. The cane rested at his feet. "Guys, it's hot as hell in here," he said, squeezing lemon juice over the barbecue. "How about some ice cubes, sir? I heard that you are the apprentice of the White Envoy. I happen to be sweating."
If the White Envoy were here, you would probably not dare to make any demands. Uriel thought to himself. However, he was not disgusted by this trivial matter, so the apprentice tapped the wine glass with his ring. "I'm happy to help, Mr. Edward." The other party's cup clicked softly, and the hot wine froze instantly.
But the magic doesn't end there. The white frost crackles into a symbol: Ha!
"Gods!" The adventurer almost threw the cup away.
"I'm sorry, sir, it seems that our introduction to our companions is incomplete." Uriel said, "This is Thorengerson, a wise and knowledgeable Night Whispering Ring."
Very knowledgeable. I happen to have a few good ways to dissipate heat, such as sticking out my tongue? I know how to turn my flip flops into swamp boots and they're so cool
"Forget it, I don't want to have to use two canes when walking." The adventurer put down his cup, "I am Edward the barber, and I have been a part-time demon hunter for many years. It is an honor to meet you, my lords."
Dalton said nothing, raised his glass, took a sip himself, lowered his head and concentrated on dealing with a crab. Uriel hopes that he can be like him, and he is the one who is responsible for the negotiations. But he is not without helpers.
That would be easy! You can shave your head first. Trust me, that's the coolest way
"No. The title means my dagger is as accurate as a barber's scissors."
Oh, come on, scissors and daggers don't work, you have to use a fork for haircuts. Don't lower your head, otherwise someone will be unable to help but stir it evenly.
Balthazar lowered his voice: "I heard how you dealt with Aldinite. So it's no problem to deal with him, right?"
Sauron the Ring is enough to calm the situation, but maybe I will have to help the "Barber" out of the situation. Uriel forced himself to smile. "I'm honored too." He wanted to know why everything related to the White Envoy was so troublesome. "We're waiting for him to come. It's time to get down to business."
The mercenary leader still caused topics from the judges and demon hunters. "Judges are equivalent to the Paladins of the Church of Gaia. In addition to eradicating heretics, they usually operate in a small team mode, and their inspection scope includes the entire Moniantoros. However, although the Church of Gaia can place ladders in the church, they can't attack random people. For the demons that appear, fixed-point shuttle stations are of little use. In order to improve efficiency, demon hunters are likely to match mystics who can use the magic of the ladder in the team."
"It seems our enemies are not idle."
"In fact, they are extremely busy." Edward quickly joined the conversation. "Since the duty of the judges is to execute demons, let them return to their main business. I know the locations of two small associations, which is enough to attract the attention of the judges. .”
cloud train
