"I hope you can ensure the safety of your next trip, Lord Qingshan."
The bright sky once again appeared on the horizon of the free world, and at the same time there were several members of the Free City delegation who seemed to have not slept well, but the younger one among them had an unexpected expression on his face. Zhong said with hesitation: "Don't let something like this happen again."
"Your worries are unnecessary, Mr. Rondoer." Duan Qing, who had regained some energy, bent down slightly: "I can guarantee with my personality that yesterday's conflict was just an accident..."
"Accidental? Then why are there so many people dying?" The young envoy looked at the other party with squinting eyes: "Is it possible that the number I came to ask for before was fake?"
"Adventurers have always been a group that doesn't listen to orders very well, and... they like to be in the limelight." Duan Qing's expression did not change at all: "Achieving such a record is already something we are proud of."
"Hmph! That's nonsense! You are looking for excuses for your incompetence..."
"Stop talking, Lord Rondall."
Another envoy who walked out of the inner city gate interrupted the young swordsman's words, and at the same time blocked his body from sight: "...I'm sorry, Lord Qingshan, as a young man, my attitude is a bit impatient. …”
"It doesn't matter, I can understand your mood." Duan Qing replied with a smile: "I can completely understand the idea of being eager to return to your hometown to avoid danger."
"You, what did you say!"
"If you don't shut up that mouth of yours, I will report everything you say and do to Fandral."
Turning his head sideways to interrupt the young man behind him who was about to explode again, the middle-aged envoy turned back with a straight face: "...In short, we are very grateful for your assistance. Although I also hope that the next trip will be safe, but …”
"If there is another accident..." He bent down and bowed: "I still have to rely on you."
"The mission will be fulfilled, sir."
Duan Qing also bowed: "This is the motto of adventurers. You must know..."
"Adventurers never lack courage." He pointed behind him, where the battle broke out last night: "This battle is proof."
"...You are indeed a group of heroes worthy of praise."
As if recalling the numbers brought about by last night's battle, the middle-aged noble's voice also became lowered: "I hope your reputation can forever deter those young people."
"Don't worry, sir, they don't dare to offend here again." Duan Qing replied harmoniously: "Of course... the rest of the journey will be the same."
"...That way, I feel relieved."
The noble named Bart took a deep breath, and then looked in the direction of the carriage: "So... shall we set off now?"
"Well... we may have to wait a little longer."
Suddenly abandoning his previous calmness, Duan Qing scratched his head and replied: "You... um, everyone hasn't had breakfast yet, right? Can you enjoy Azia Moka's specialties first? The Traveler's Home Hotel has them sell……"
"...No need, we can wait."
After giving Duan Qing a deep look, Bart took the lead and took the lead towards the convoy: "If you have anything to do, you can do it to your heart's content."
"..."
Watching the Free City team moving further and further away from the square, Duan Qing sighed slightly, and then calmly gave his instructions to the two cavalry members who were running towards him: "Rest where you are for a while. , there’s no need to rush out just yet, you guys can relax first and then go outside…Where’s Jason?”
"Jason is communicating with Lord Laches, hoping to properly handle the battle at dusk yesterday." One of the cavalry members saluted him with a fist-cup military salute, and then lowered his voice and reported: "About... …The reports of those mysterious people have also been written and will be sent to Tania immediately.”
"……very good."
Looking helplessly towards the west direction of the pass, Duan Qing hesitated for a while, and finally chose to drive away the two guards: "Pay attention to the movements around you, we will set off in a while, I don't want to , someone is waiting to attack us on our road..."
His words gradually stopped, and his eyes gradually drifted to the square between the inner and outer city. Several adventurers were crossing the city gate there and walking towards the hotel where they were staying. Sparse footsteps followed the gradually rising noise, passing through the crowd of players and NPCs. However, judging from the expressions on the faces of those people, they did not seem to be night passers-by returning from an adventure, or... Climbers who have been on Falling Star Mountain for several days.
They are more like a group of down-and-out young people who have been on the run for a long time.
The two guards surrounding Duan Qing looked at his slightly surprised expression in confusion, as if they didn't understand why the Baron suddenly became like this. However, before they realized the existence of those players, they walked in front of him. The person at the front had already pushed through the crowd and walked up to Duan Qing: "Everyone, let's take a rest first. It's not easy to persist until now..."
He raised his head and saw Duan Qing's face close at hand: "Let's... first..."
He stopped.
It's still that weathered expression, still that square face, but the face after not seeing him for a long time seems to be a little more haggard and tired than before - the person standing in front of Duan Qing should be a shield. A warrior, but a shield warrior who looked down and out. Not only was his equipment in tatters, but it also looked like it was old stuff that had been eliminated a long time ago. Leather armor and chain mail of various colors were hung at random on various parts of his body. The almost polished shoulder armor almost exposed the man's shoulders, and his face became unshaven because he had not tidied it up for a long time. The top was covered with wind and frost, and it was also wrinkled due to long-term fatigue and wind, which was more in line with the man's status as an uncle.
Everything seems to be very different from what Duan Qing had in mind, and there is a sense of vicissitudes that makes people sigh that things are man-made. Only the big black shield hanging behind that person, which once stood on the mountain road of Fenghua Town for a long time, still remains. It looks like what Duan Qing remembers.
"It seems...you haven't been doing well these days, uncle."
"Yeah, it seems like a long time has passed." The smiling butcher sighed and replied, "I think...it's a bit ironic."
"This big black iron shield is the one you got when you were in Fenghua Town, right?" Duan Qing walked up to the shield warrior: "Everything about you has changed, except for the shield... this What's going on?"
"This... should be a more ironic thing." The smiling butcher replied, "It's a long story."
In the short period of time that followed, Duan Qing briefly learned about the story of Uncle Smile, and the story was not much different from what he had guessed - Uncle Smile was a man who blew the wind, Considering the news during this period, one can imagine what happened to him.
He was kicked out of the guild.
"Nifeng leisurely left so suddenly, and he left almost no trace behind."
After a brief explanation with several companions around him, Uncle Smiling followed Duan Qing's footsteps and came to an open space on the other side of the hotel: "So for the sake of control of the guild... the few remaining high-level officials can be regarded as hanging. Used all my brains.”
"A guild without top players...what else is there to grab?"
"A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. This is an eternal truth."
The smiling butcher said with a wry smile: "Even without Fufeng Youran, Fufeng still has nearly a thousand full-level members and the status of overlord of Eta County... Such an air may not be disapproving of you people. But for those who are under the pressure of top masters every day and now have a glimmer of hope, how can it not make them jealous?"
"So...your guild ushered in a bloody dispute?"
"The word bloody... is really appropriate."
The man who looked like an uncle wiped his weather-beaten face: "Form the gang, intimidate and induce, fight overtly and covertly, exclude and suppress... For the position of the guild boss, they have used all kinds of tricks, even for public resources such as the guild." Everything is about to be divided up under their instigation..."
"After the League Cup, our guild has not held a single decent event. Either several factions are arguing with each other, or they are secretly conducting transactions with so-called 'relatives and friends'." The shield warrior showed an expression like shit: " Although the excitement is very enjoyable to watch, I have to admit... when it happens around you, this is really not something that makes people happy."
"The power struggle between the president and the group leader has always made for a wonderful TV series." Duan Qing replied with a smile: "Not to mention you headless flies."
"Anyway, I talked to a couple of them."
Giving a thumbs up to Duan Qing, the smiling butcher continued: "But those people don't seem to think highly of me, and they don't have much respect for me, a newcomer who came to this guild because of connections, so they don't It didn’t feel like I was giving them advice, but rather…taunting them.”
"And you were kicked out?"
"It's not that fast yet. Even if it's for my... daughter, I hope to do something."
The smiling uncle took a long breath: "I try my best to stay in the guild and make my own efforts for the development of this guild, but those stupid...those people are really a bunch of red-eyed guys. They They don’t take us weaklings who haven’t reached full level at all…”
"My last attempt is to hope that they will launch an exploration of Solas Castle, hoping to use a decent activity to revive the almost disappeared military morale." Having said this, he sighed and looked at the sky: "But... This proposal was considered to be an attempt by an undercover agent to sway people's minds. I and several of the most active members were kicked out of the guild because of this. They seemed to be afraid that I would cause any negative influence outside, so they kicked me out first. These 'punishment measures' were announced in the news at the meeting until... my friends learned about it."
"So you ended up living here?" Duan Qing looked at the other party's outfit: "With this tattered equipment?"
"We handed back all the equipment obtained by the guild, and the road across Falling Star Mountain is not easy to walk." The smiling butcher finally smiled: "But...in order not to drag down my daughter and friends, We finally came out.”
"Are those behind you...all your companions?" Duan Qing tilted his body and looked behind him: "Which one is your daughter?"
"...She has not left Fufeng." The smiling butcher lowered his head: "She is still fighting in the guild."
"Everything in the world is fickle, but that's it." Recalling the figure who was recruited by his daughter in Fenghua Town, Duan Qing said sadly: "When she found you in the free world, she probably didn't expect the end. This is how it will end."
"This is not an ending. I also believe in her talent." The smiling butcher showed a confident look: "Thanks to those people, the Wind Wind Guild has lost its dominance in Eta County. Even the new arrivals The pinnacle and the royal family are enough to compete with those fools who only know how to fight in the nest... Their defeat is only a matter of time, and I believe that by then... she will become a qualified leader."
"You are also a qualified father." Duan Qing sighed and said, "You are also a qualified fighter..."
"Haha, thank you for the compliment." The smiling butcher patted his tattered armor: "But...if you can provide a place where the equipment can be repaired, we will thank you even more."
"...What's your next plan?"
"I don't know, I might go to a few lower-level places to practice first." The smiling butcher replied: "Of course, Fenghua Town may also be a good choice..."
"Fenghua Town is not safe now. I don't recommend that you go and die." Duan Qing immediately shook his head: "How about... how about you follow us to Freedom City? Our convoy will set off soon, and there are still many vacancies... …”
"Free City?"
Following Duan Qing's outstretched finger, the smiling butcher looked in the direction of the motorcade: "Well, it wouldn't be a bad idea to try your luck over there...?"
"We went there with a mission."
After signaling to a few noble-looking guys in that direction, Duan Qing squeezed his eyebrows: "If nothing else happens, this mission should be easy. Maybe I can give you a lot of experience. By the way, Find some decent equipment..."
"It doesn't matter, we are homeless now anyway."
Spreading his hands towards Duan Qing, the smiling uncle replied with a smile: "It doesn't matter what the reward is, as long as you have a place to stay... By the way, why haven't you set off yet? You're not waiting for us on purpose, are you?"
"Well..."
Sighing and turning around, Duan Qing pointed towards the west gate of Kalon Pass: "I'm just waiting for someone..."
"She should be here."
In the haze, the figure of a two-sword warrior wearing a black cloak slowly appeared in the distance of the road, and then walked step by step to the door of Kalon Pass under the direct light of the morning sun.
