It's spring again. The warm and moist air flows over the solid and thick clay walls of Braun Town, bringing the model of revival of all things, waking up this adventurer town built deep in the forest from hibernation.
Braun Town belongs to the Fallen Leaf City of Disa Alliance and is named after its proximity to Lake Braun. She is far away from the main city, with a straight-line distance of more than 300 kilometers, and an 80-kilometer-wide virgin forest belt in the middle. The journey is long and dangerous, so even armed caravans from prominent highland families rarely visit here. The Fallen Leaf City Council is even more indifferent to Braun Town. Except for the guards sent by the city hall on a regular basis, only large and small adventure groups enter and exit this remote town.
In fact, Braun Town is a typical adventurer autonomous stronghold. It is governed by the Adventurer Guild of Fallen Leaf City. It does not need to pay any taxes to the city-state council, but it is responsible for guarding the areas on the edge of the main city and providing essential equipment for adventurers. Little logistical support.
More than 1,000 years ago, the half-elves of the Disa City-State Alliance, the barbarians of the Black Fire Tribe, and the orcs of the Ulu Goblin Kingdom signed the Cangqing Contract under the witness of the Dragon King Palace, recognizing the Dragon King Philumat Cangqing Wings as a three-party joint venture. Lord, established the Dragon Kingdom, divided their respective territories, and agreed not to infringe on each other's core territories. This ended the war between the three tribes that lasted for more than 400 years.
However, in order to satisfy Dragon King Philumat's insatiable thirst for treasure and expand their sphere of influence, the three major forces of the Dragon Kingdom invariably sent small groups of troops to explore the edge areas, collect various resources, and find ways to Encroaching on your opponent's territory.
The half-elf adventurers of the Disa Alliance, the barbarian raiders of the Blackfire Tribe, and the orc bone collectors of the Goblin Kingdom came into being. They fight on the fringes in search of wealth and status.
The Adventurer's House is the only hotel in Braun Town, and its living room is empty with few customers. The hotel owner, Bottom, sat behind the bar, holding a dark rag and feebly wiping the empty wine glass.
He looks to be in his 40s, but may actually be older. He has short, thick red hair mixed with frosty white. His greasy face hides traces of wind and snow wear. His brown eyes are drowsy and occasionally reveal terrifying expressions. of light. An old cloth robe looked ill-fitting and even comical because of his broad shoulders and muscular chest.
No one would laugh at Bottom, no one who was qualified to laugh at him liked to joke, and no one with a glib tongue dared to laugh at him. At least in the town of Braun, the hotel owner Bottom is the most important person.
The adventurers of the Disa Alliance are all unruly outlaws, but no adventurer would offend the union leader at the outpost. Boss Bottom is the head of the Adventurers' Union in Braun Town, and his current position was obtained by his own ability.
As the head of the Adventurer's Guild in Braun Town, Bottom has a complete monopoly on the hotel business in the town. Over the years, he has made a lot of money and has a business of his own.
Spring is a season full of hope. The weather warms up, the ice and snow melt, and food becomes easier and more diverse. But the beasts in the black forest also wake up from hibernation. They are hungry and become particularly ferocious. The adventurers must leave the permanent stronghold before the ice and snow completely melt, and either go to the wilds to search for treasures, or return to Fallen Leaf City with the loot in exchange for the wealth and status they deserve.
For hotels in the town of Braun, spring is undoubtedly the bleakest time of year for business. Bottom began to consider dismissing some of the guys in the hotel and introducing them to serve as temporary guides for the adventure group. Although the guide's commission belongs to the clerk personally, he can save a lot of money.
The two-way wooden door of the hotel was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and three figures dressed as adventurers appeared at the door against the light. The young and clever shopkeeper Piru was the first to greet him and said earnestly: "Guests, are you here to hire a guide? My name is Piru, the best scout hunter in Braun Town..."
"Piru, get out of here. If you brag again when you are an adult, some fools may believe that you are the best scout hunter in Braun Town... Haven't you seen that these guests need medical assistance?" Bato Mu walked around from behind the bar, pushed aside the young-looking Piru, and quickly looked at the three uninvited guests, feeling suspicious in his heart.
There are at least two women among these three adventurers. One of them is tall, with brown-green hair in a single ponytail, gray-green eyes, and facial features like a knife and an axe. He is wearing a battle skirt and equipment, revealing long legs and arms with obvious muscle outlines. Four barbed spears hung on his back, and two short blades were tied to the outside of his thighs. The whole person exuded a strong, wild and ruthless flavor.
Her appearance and fierce temperament all indicate that she is a female warrior of the Hemer tribe.
The Hemo tribe is a minority among the Disa half-elves, but they are very common in adventure groups, and they are also the main force of the adventure group.
Yes, the Hemer tribe are all women. They are brave and good at fighting, and have wild temperaments. They do not give birth or raise children. They love fighting and plundering, and they especially discriminate against half-elf males.
It is said that the Hemer tribe is a half-elf ethnic group favored by the Mother of the Earth. Every year during the water season, after the Hemer female warriors perform a life-sacrifice ceremony, the Earth Mother will heal the injuries they have suffered during the year. The female warriors of Hemo even master the terrifying power of ice.
Bottom has never seen a high-level Hemer female warrior, and he doesn't know whether this rumor is true or false. But he had participated in the Hemo tribe's life sacrifice, more than once. It was a unique experience that is hard to describe.
This female Hemo warrior has scars on her legs and arms, indicating that she has been active in the wild for the past year and has experienced many battles.
The other adventurer is a young female half-elf, wearing a warm animal skin cotton robe, with leather-lined armor exposed at the collar. She is of average height, has short brown ear-length hair, and lake-green eyes. She is neither beautiful nor beautiful. Ugly, looks ordinary.
It is just because it is ordinary that it stands out. The adventure group includes female warriors from the Hemer tribe, as well as male half-elves, but ordinary half-elf females are rare. Bottom also noticed that this young lady had calm eyes, a calm temperament, and a gentle charm, which is what is called education among women in the Highlands of Luoye City.
Well-educated highland women would not appear in the adventure group. Bottom estimated that she had a highland background and might be a servant maid of a famous highland family. However, the adventurer stronghold and the city-state are completely different worlds. Even if she has a background from a famous highland family, she must act according to the adventurer's rules in Braun Town.
This lady was not wearing any weapons, only a pair of dilapidated sickle-shaped bone blades hung on her belt, which might have been trophies captured from an orc bone collector or barbarian raider. Bottom only glanced at them and didn't think they were of any value, so he moved his sharp eyes to the last guest.
The third adventurer was covered from head to toe by a thick leather robe, making it impossible to tell his appearance and gender. His limbs were limp, and only two companions supported him on their shoulders to prevent him from falling. Bottom's sharp eyes immediately saw that the adventurer was injured and unconscious.
"There is a good room upstairs. Let's go up and talk." Bottom led the three adventurers to the stairs in the hotel as if nothing had happened, without attracting the attention of other guests.
There are definitely quirks in these strange adventurers, maybe bad things, maybe good things, but Bottom is confident that in Braun Town, he can turn most bad things into good things, or at least not make bad things worse.
Arriving at the innermost room on the fourth floor of the hotel, Bottom took out the key, opened the door, and let the guests in first. He glanced around covertly to make sure no one was watching, then walked into the room, turned around and closed the door.
The room was very clean, with a soft grass carpet spread on the stone floor. A large wooden bed was placed in the middle, with a thick bearskin mattress on top. A pottery stone was placed on the long table opposite the bed. There is also a bouquet of red peach branches in the vase. Although there are no bright flowers, they have sprouted buds, adding a touch of touching greenery to the bedroom. The window on the south side is wide open. Standing in front of the window, you can see the forest scenery outside Braun Town.
The female adventurer who was suspected to be a Highlander was obviously quite satisfied with this room. She looked around several times before turning to Bottom and said: "Dear Lord Red Lion, my name is Lina, and this is my sister Yin. , we are the adventurers of the White Horn Adventure Group, and we have something to ask for your help with."
Compared with her ordinary appearance, her voice is melodious and melodious, very gentle, which makes people fall in love with her as soon as she hears it. Boss Bottom laughed and asked, "Do you know me?"
The female adventurer who called herself Lina nodded slightly and said sincerely: "There are few adventure groups who have not heard of the reputation of Bottom, the Red Lion. You are generous, value credibility, and are an adventurer worthy of respect."
Bartome didn't take Lina's compliment to heart, he chuckled and said: "I definitely don't have a reputation for generosity, but I really pay attention to credibility... Tell me, if you have any difficulties that you need my help with, as long as the price satisfies me, I will I will try my best to satisfy you.”
Lina leaned against the window sill and said with a smile: "A few months ago, our companion was injured in the battle and could no longer continue the adventure, so we want to leave him in the Braun Town Adventure Guild and ask you to take care of him for a while. , we will send someone to pick him up after we finish this adventure."
"No problem. Taking in and caring for injured adventurers is one of the responsibilities of the stronghold union." Bottom patted his chest generously, with a hint of subtle cunning flashing in his eyes, and then said: "Then, according to the adventurer stronghold's As a rule, I have to ask you a few questions, and you also need to prepare a fee."
"You ask... As for the cost of caring for the wounded, we can finalize the discussion."
"Okay." Bottom put away his smile, first looked back at the female warrior Hemo who was putting the wounded on the bed, then turned to Lina and asked: "Miss Lina, you seem to be Ms. Highland?"
The half-elf female adventurer shook her head and said: "A real highland lady is beautiful, elegant, knowledgeable and intelligent. I am obviously not, but I once served a highland lady in the rapids highlands. For some reasons that are inconvenient to mention, I Leave the rapids highlands and join the White Horn adventuring party as a physician and apothecary."
"Oh? Miss Lina is also a doctor and pharmacist?" Bottom raised his thick eyebrows in surprise.
"Yes, I am a third-level physician and a third-level pharmacist, certified by Thorin Academy in Rapids."
Bottom was in awe, but ordinary adventure groups did not need doctors, because adventurers more or less knew some medical first aid methods, and as long as the female warriors of the Hemer tribe were not disabled, they would wait until every winter. , after completing the life sacrifice ceremony, all injuries and illnesses will be healed automatically without leaving any sequelae.
There is only one situation where the adventure group will invite doctors to join, and that is the mobile village of the Hemer tribe. In name, they are an alliance adventure group, but in fact they are a wandering Hemer gang that makes a living by hunting and robbing.
This kind of adventure group has a fierce style and is very close to the adventurer union. Sometimes it even attacks the adventure groups registered by the alliance, forcibly absorbing the female warriors of the Hemer tribe, squeezing the male adventurers clean, and then selling them as slaves. to certain forces.
In short, the wandering villages of the Hemer tribe are very difficult to deal with, and the White Horn adventure group is obviously a big trouble. Maybe there is an adventure group in Braun Town and they have suffered from them.
Bottom thought about it carefully and found no incident in which the entire adventure group was wiped out in the past two years. He quietly breathed a sigh of relief and asked in a deep voice: "Doctor Lina, which adventure base did you set out from?"
He asked "you", not "you".
Lina understood the hotel owner's worries and replied: "I was introduced to the White Horn by Mayor Robert in Kawen Town. That was four years ago."
The time, place, and name were all correct... Bottom nodded first, stroking the beard on his chin, and said with a smile: "Robert the Town of Carwen? I met him several times a long time ago, so he is Old friends. However, Kawen Town is to the north of Braun Town, more than 600 kilometers away from here... You guys ran a little far, did you encounter something?"
"Our information is valuable!"
The Hemo female warrior settled her injured companion, strode over, put her hands on the handle of the short-edged knife on the outside of her thigh, looked fiercely, and said provocatively: "Male, I don't care if you are a red lion or a red rabbit, I want to If you want information, you have to pay!”
Boss Bottom often interacts with the female warriors of the Hemer tribe and has long been accustomed to their domineering style. Facing Yin's threats, he crossed his arms and smiled nonchalantly: "I have the final say on how much information is worth. This is also the rule of Braun Town."
Physician Lina shook her head at the eager female warrior of the Hemer Tribe and said, "How much does Lord Red Lion think the information about the migration of shadow lurkers is worth?"
The old adventurer's pupils shrank suddenly, and after a moment of silence, he said in a slightly hoarse voice: "If you produce evidence of the shadow lurker, I am willing to pay 10 to 15 gold towers for this information."
The two adventurers looked at each other. The female warrior named Yin took out a palm-sized fusiform scale from the small leather bag hanging on her waist and handed it to the hotel owner.
Bottom took the scale with a solemn expression, put it under his nose, sniffed it, nodded and said, "It's very fresh. It's the scale of the shadow beast. So, what's the specific information?"
Lina introduced: "At the end of last autumn, we camped in the black forest on the west bank of the lower reaches of the Krill River to prepare for the winter. We accidentally discovered a group of bone collectors operating near the White Horn Camp. We originally planned to hunt them, but they had already was targeted by an adult shadow lurker. The terrifying monster seemed to have been invaded by a certain dragon species and had to migrate, and happened to run into the orc bone collector. The angry shadow beast killed the bone collector gang. , and was deliberately led to the White Horn Camp by the damn orcs... Then, we were chased by it all the way. It wasn't until last year's freezing rain fell that we got rid of the monster. It should currently establish a territory to the north of Braun Town, about 100 meters away It’s about 220 kilometers here.”
Bottom narrowed his eyes and asked doubtfully: "Dragon species? What kind of dragon species can drive away an adult shadow lurker?"
Lina pursed her lips and smiled, and said: "It should be a dragon-veined monitor lizard. We heard its roar, but we couldn't provide any specific evidence, so this information is free."
"Okay, the information about the shadow beast, I count you 12 golden towers." Bottom shook his head, looked at the unconscious adventurer lying on the wooden bed, and said: "Let's talk about caring for the wounded now. .”
The Hemo female warrior Yin had already untied her companion's clothes. The hotel owner walked to the bedside and was stunned when he saw his appearance clearly.
This half-elf adventurer's eyes were closed and he was in a coma. His appearance was exquisite, like a sculpture collected by a top-notch family. Bottom could swear to Mother Earth that this was the only beauty he had ever seen. If it weren't for the short brown hair with masculine characteristics, the well-informed old adventurer would even suspect that this was a young lady from a famous highland family.
Bottom asked still uncertainly: "Is this...a female or a male?"
"He is my brother, his name is Wiltok." Lina sat down by the bed and held his hand, her expression looking extremely gentle.
younger brother? I'm afraid they are just lovers... Boss Bottom cursed secretly. He endured the visual impact and found something unusual. For example, this Wiltok's eyebrows are slender, which is obviously different from the thick eyebrows of the Disa half-elf. In addition, his figure is slender and well-proportioned, with a height of nearly 1.9 meters, which is taller than most adult half-elf men. However, his chin is smooth and delicate, without the stubble that marks half-elf men as adults. So much so that Bottom couldn't tell his specific age.
Lina seemed to explain unintentionally: "Wiltok is 16 years old this year, his blood has mutated, and he looks a little different from others.
"16 years old...that means he is almost an adult?" Bottom said with a half-smile, not bothering to expose the female doctor's excuse.
Lina nodded vigorously and continued: "Weir accidentally fell on his head during the evacuation and was in a coma for several days. After that, he would wake up from time to time to eat and drink, but he completely lost his memory. We couldn't take him with us. If we continue to take risks, we want to leave him in Braun Town to recuperate. We will pick him up by next spring at the latest."
"Head injury is the most troublesome situation... Poor little Will, may the kind Mother Earth have mercy on him." The hotel owner showed cheap sympathy, but immediately changed to a profiteer's face, rubbed his hands and said, "Look , this is the best guest room in the Adventurer's House. Little Will will get the best care when he lives here. I will send a gentle, kind, clever, and beautiful waitress to serve him specially, from morning to night, never leaving! In addition, , Dr. Cole of Braun Town is also an old friend of mine. For my sake, he will provide regular medical help and only charge half of the fee...accommodation fee, food fee, waitress' service fee, doctor's diagnosis and treatment fee , and maybe the cost of the medicine... I'll do the math, add up these costs, remove the fractions, and then deduct the intelligence fee that I need to pay, a total of 200 gold pagodas."
Boss Bottom looked at the pockets of the two female adventurers and confirmed that they did not bring so much gold, so he changed his words and said: "The Adventurer's House also purchases other properties, including gems, horns, skins, amber, weapons, medicinal materials, Finished medicines, slaves... whatever you have, I will accept, and I guarantee that within a radius of 500 miles, my price will be the most reasonable."
He wasn't lying. Within a radius of 500 miles, there was only one permanent stronghold of the Disa Alliance, Braun Town. Only the Adventurer's House Hotel in the entire Braun Town could purchase the property obtained by the adventurers.
Seeing that the two female adventurers were silent, Bottom's enthusiasm was like hot water poured into a snowdrift, instantly condensing into ice. He said coldly: "Of course, if you don't have enough money, the Adventurer's House also has The conditions of the public housing for caring for the wounded are a bit poor, but the price is also cheap. However, I have to explain some rules in advance. Some adventure groups will take the opportunity to abandon the wounded. As the head of the Braun Town Adventure Union, I am qualified to take care of the injured. members to keep their property."
"Vertok is now delirious and suffering from amnesia. Only you know how much personal property he has in White Horn. If you don't even leave him a single copper, I can't keep his property for him... …Let’s do this, I will arrange for him to live in public housing, and you will give me 60 gold pagodas, or equivalent property, as the cost of caring for the wounded.”
"In addition, I would like to point out that beauty is a curse to the weak. If Little Will is so beautiful, it will bring trouble to himself, especially when he is almost an adult. Wait until this winter, Hemer from Braun Town The female warriors of the tribe will hold a life sacrifice ceremony, and they will definitely be beaten to death in order to snatch Little Will. I don’t want to offend the Earth Mother Temple in Braun Town... So, I will take care of him until the autumn of this year. You must be there before the first freezing rain. Send someone to pick him up before he falls. Otherwise, I may choose to drive Wiltok out of the Adventurer’s House.”
Hearing this, a sarcastic smile appeared on the corner of Yin, the female warrior of Hemo. She was about to speak but was stopped by her companion with a look.
Doctor Lina said softly: "Dear Lord Red Lion, we have no money and no property that can be exchanged..."
"Then there's no need to talk... The rent for Sanyin Tower will be deducted from your intelligence fee. You can stay until this time tomorrow. The Adventurer's House will also provide a free breakfast... I wish you a happy day ,goodbye."
The hotel owner raised his legs and was about to leave the guest room, but was stopped by the doctor Lina, "Wait a minute, Mr. Red Lion, although I don't have money to pay you, but you owe Mayor Robert of Carwen Town a favor, and Mayor Lott You gave me this favor, otherwise, I wouldn’t have rashly asked you for help, would I?”
Bottom turned around slowly and sneered: "I owe Robert a favor? Why don't I remember this?"
Without saying a word, Lina took out an opal and a letter from the bag she carried with her and handed them over. Bottom took the opal, opened the letter and looked at it carefully. The expression on his face gradually became serious. After a moment of silence, he put on his cute smile again and said: "Oh, look at my memory, I almost forgot about this matter." Forgot... Miss Lina, if you have any requests, just ask, I will try my best to fulfill them."
"Take good care of my brother, and I will come to pick him up next spring. Lord Red Lion, can you do it?" Lina asked with an indifferent expression.
"No problem, Wiltok will get the best care here." Bottom assured, patting his strong chest.
Lina leaned down, stared at Vertok's plump and smooth forehead, couldn't help but kiss him, and said without looking back: "Also, you can send a kind, gentle, clever waitress to take care of Vertok, the beautiful one is No need."
She vaguely revealed the bossy speaking habits of a superior, but the veteran adventurer didn't care and just nodded in agreement.
Lina reluctantly looked at the sleeping Wiltok and said to her companions: "Let's go back."
The female doctor with ordinary appearance and gentle temperament refused the hotel owner's solicitation to stay, and left the adventurer's home with the female warrior of the Hemer tribe.
They arrived suddenly and left simply. Except for the red lion Bottom, no one was disturbed.
Through the window of the hotel, watching the two mysterious female adventurers disappear through the gate of Braun Town, Bottom frowned, holding the opal and letterhead and fell into deep thought.
He had previously opened his mouth to Lina Lion, asking for high foster care fees. He had the idea of blackmailing her, but it was more to test their background.
There is not a word of truth about this Lina, and even her appearance and name are fake, but she is definitely not an ordinary person, maybe she is a lady from a famous highland family, and she is also a powerful family among Disa's famous families.
A powerful lady from a well-known family hides her head and tells lies. She also brings along an amnesiac boy whose identity is a mystery and who is extremely beautiful. She is a big trouble no matter how you look at it. However, no matter how big the trouble is, Bottom doesn't want to take over, so he has to take over now.
In fact, Bottom doesn't owe Mayor Robert of Carwen Town any favors at all, and favors have to be divided into objects. If you don't owe a favor to a lower-ranking person, you won't owe it, but if you don't owe a favor to a high-ranking person, you'd rather pay it to yourself. The favor that Lina offered was the kind that Bottom couldn't bear to refuse.
The opal was manually polished and split from the middle. The smooth section was engraved with the marks of the palace pillars. One side was convex and the other side was concave. It fit perfectly and was difficult to imitate.
This is a token of the Xiduo family, the most famous family in Luoye City, and the letter is an anonymous recommendation letter written by the Xiduo family. Anyone who uses an opal token and this letter of recommendation can obtain a professional trial qualification at Coral Academy in Fallen Leaf City.
Red Lion Bottom has been an adventurer for so many years, his hands are stained with blood, he has many enemies, and he has a wide network of contacts, so he does not lack this letter of recommendation. The problem is, his most cherished grandson is studying at Coral College.
How did doctor Lina know?
If she knows all about Bottom's anonymous grandson, how terrifying is her background?
So, it's a favor and a silent threat.
From another perspective, the doctor Lina did not hesitate to show her traces and also wanted to arrange for her "brother". The trouble caused by Vertok was not ordinary.
However, Lina thought she could coerce the hotel owner in Braun Town, but she underestimated the Red Lion Bottom!
The old adventurer had a sinister look in his eyes. He put away the famous tokens and letterheads, walked to the door, stuck his head out and shouted downstairs: "Sarah, Sarah, you damn fat pig, come up here, I have something to ask for." you!"
The whole hotel fell silent for an instant, and then there were the sounds of "dong", "dong" and "dong" footsteps, and the floor groaned under the load. A fat woman over 2 meters tall, with a round waist, was wearing a cook's apron and carrying a stick. The pottery rolling pin rushed towards the room where Bottom was sitting menacingly.
She roared angrily: "Who are you calling a fat pig? See if I don't smash your face, you damn red cat bastard!"
If I didn't call you a fat pig, you wouldn't have come up so quickly... Bottom cursed secretly, ran back with skillful movements, and said with a smile: "Don't be angry, don't be angry, there is a poor patient here."
When Sarah, the cook, found Wiltok lying on the bed, her little eyes suddenly shone and she said in surprise: "Oh, this is such a beautiful little guy, what's wrong with her?"
"He is a boy." Bottom took the opportunity to wipe his cold sweat and said: "His name is Wiltok. He broke his brain and got amnesia. He was abandoned by the adventure group and stayed with us to recuperate."
"It's so pitiful that someone could cruelly abandon such a delicate little guy." The fat cook at the hotel was so distressed that she almost shed tears.
The red lion Bartome sighed and said: "Who says it's not the case? The guest who sent him here didn't even leave him a single copper. I think he needs a gentle, kind and clever person to take care of him before he can recover. In the entire town of Braun, only our eldest sister Sarah can be said to be kind, gentle, and clever. And, have you noticed, does he look like your sacrificed son Meister? Well, he is about the same age, and he doesn’t even have a beard... "
The more Sarah looked at Weir, the more she felt that he looked like her deceased son, both young, handsome and lovable. The fat cook wiped her tears and said, "Okay, I'll take care of this poor child, and leave the kitchen to others."
"No, no, no." Boss Bottom said quickly: "I mean, he can't stay in this room. Think about it, he is as beautiful as Meister, and all the female warriors of Hemer in Braun Town are Like a she-wolf, after hearing his reputation, why don't you steal him? So, we can't make it public. The best way is, you take him to the small room next to the kitchen, and when he wakes up, you teach him how to do things. , and it can also exercise his hands and feet and help him regain control of his body."
Sarah thought for a while, nodded heavily and said, "Well, what you said makes sense, I'll take him down right now. As long as I'm here, how dare that blind she-wolf take my poor little Will away!"
