On the fourth day, he woke up early. He didn't sleep in and laze in bed. He washed up happily and went to the Adventurers Guild immediately after eating. Although he didn't care about the dangers of the wilderness, he still needed a guide. He heard that Adventurers were very good. They could be guides and protect themselves from being attacked by wild beasts in the wilderness.
It was said that most Adventurer's Guilds were built near the entrance of the town, and this town was no exception. The Adventurer's Guild branch in this border town was built a few steps away from the town gate. It was a magnificent multi-story building, and it was also the largest building in the town. It was even taller than the lord's residence and the church's temple.
It was said that the Adventurers Guild was founded by a group of people who gathered in taverns to support the brave. Unlike other professional guilds and mutual aid associations, this place was more like a job agency. Therefore, there were many people who came from other places to issue commissions, so it was specially built to be the most eye-catching.
In the endless war between the worshippers and the non-worshippers in this world, the role of adventurers was like that of bounty hunters. If they were not properly managed, how could the authorities be at ease with the existence of these armed vagrants? Restricting these adventurers to the guild was the most beneficial way for the ruler.
It was clearly early in the morning, but there were already fully armed adventurers walking in front of the guild's main street. When they walked through the guild's main gate, they saw the office hall that was packed with many adventurers. It was like a public facility formed by a large hotel, tavern, and an intermediary.
Among the adventurers in the hall, there were human swordsmen wearing armor and longswords at their waists, forest mages holding magic staffs and wearing thick coats and robes, mine warriors with axes and big beards, and even small halflings from the grasslands who held short swords.
These men and women of various armed, races, and ages were chatting and arguing in groups of three to five. They passed through them curiously and walked to the counter. At this time, there was a long line in front of the counter. It was unknown whether these people were here to accept commissions, reply to reports, or issue commissions.
"Which one is easier to earn recently? Investigate the ruins or hunt monsters?"
"It's too dangerous to explore the ruins, but I heard that there are high-level magic beasts in the depths of the forest.”
"Is that so? However, it would take a few days to go to the depths of the forest, and it was too dangerous to sleep in the wild at night. He really envied the adventurers in the capital who had endless commissions.”
"I heard that the capital hotel charges high fees and the food is expensive. In fact, it doesn't earn much.”
"Then let's go hunt Chimeras near the mountain ridge in the west of the town. Although we can earn less from those mid-level magical beasts, we can make it back to the town before dark.”
The adventurers around him were chatting, and the content of their conversation made them panic.
Are there many magical beasts in this world?』
[Omniscient: There are more monsters than humans.]
Are there any magical beasts nearby?』
[Omniscient: The habitat of magical beasts is generally far away from human settlements.]
'Will they come?』
" Omniscient: Monsters will not leave their habitat under normal circumstances."
As he listened to the chatter and lined up, the crowd had dispersed and it was the general manager's turn. The lady at the counter was a woman of similar age to him with a gentle expression. She was wearing a clean and tidy guild uniform, and her light brown hair was braided into braids and hung in front of her shoulders.
"Hello, what can I do for you?”The clear and serious words of the counter lady pulled back Gong You's attention.
"…I want to issue a commission.”After calming down a little, he spoke of his purpose. He was a little nervous in this serious atmosphere.
The lady at the counter, who had a sharp appearance, instantly smiled." I understand. Then, can you read and write?”
"…I won't." Gong You said after a moment of hesitation. Although he knew how to read and write a certain language, which was a small amount of common sense rooted in the depths of his mind, Gong You knew that the language was different from all the mainstream languages in this world.
"Then please tell me the details of the commission. I'll fill in the information on your behalf.”The counter lady took out a form from under the counter, then casually picked up a pen and dipped it into an ink bottle. She was already used to the low literacy rate of the town's residents.
"I plan to go to the capital, the Water Capital in the northeast, but I heard that there are monsters in the wild, so I want to hire a few adventurers to escort me.”He tried his best to explain the cause and effect of the commission in simple words.
"Are you going alone?" The counter lady filled in a few words on the form and looked up to ask. At the same time, she carefully looked at Gong You's clothes, probably trying to judge Gong You's financial resources.
"Yes, I'm alone." He replied casually that he could only rely on himself in this world.
"Could it be that we're walking?" The lady at the counter showed a surprised expression and her voice became a little loud, attracting the attention of several adventurers nearby.
"Hmm…let's take the carriage. I'll drive it myself or…if the adventurer knows how to drive, I can pay more.”Gong You also thought about the traffic situation in this world. It was quite inconvenient to travel without public transportation. Instead of risking it to find strangers to ride with, it was better to buy a carriage. At most, he could sell it after arriving at the capital.
"Alright, you want to find an adventurer who will escort you to the Water Capital and also need them to drive a carriage, right?”The counter lady put away her surprised expression and asked seriously.
"Yes, please hurry." Gong You nodded and said affirmatively.
"I say, can you give this commission to us? I know how to drive a carriage." The one who suddenly interrupted was a young adventurer who was standing next to Gongyou. He was wearing a brand new thin breastplate with a headband and a sword hanging from his waist. There was a brand new white porcelain plate hanging around his neck, which meant that he was a newly registered newcomer.
Upon closer inspection, there were three girls behind the young man. One of them was a skinny girl in a brand-new holy robe, holding a staff in her hand. The other was a girl with her hair tied up and wearing a faded combat suit, looking very lively and competitive. The last one was a bespectacled girl who was holding a long cane and wearing a pointed hat. She looked at him with cold eyes.
These four people were probably a combination of swordsmen, priests, warriors, and mages. If one did not look at their age, these young people would form a very standard adventurer team.
"You guys, this is against the rules!”The lady at the counter slammed the table and stood up. She was angry because the young swordsman had suddenly interrupted their conversation. Perhaps it was because she could not supervise the commission that was not issued by the guild, and there was no way to collect the intermediary fee?
"Ahem, how about this? I'll just post the commission at the counter and let them come over to accept the commission.”He noticed that many people in the hall were looking at him. He did not want to cause unnecessary trouble, so he said a method that was beneficial to both sides.
"Please do so." The counter lady glared at the young swordsman, then sat down and said to Gong You.
"Uh…Haha." The young swordsman probably felt that he had gone too far and tried to bluff his way through. After all, he was just a new adventurer. If he had not encountered such a commission at the counter, he would not have been qualified to accept the escort mission.
"Although you intend to let them accept the commission, the commission fee still needs to be paid to the guild first.”The counter lady said angrily this time, and even her eyes were very strict when she looked at Gong You.
"How much is the commission fee?" Seeing that things had settled down, he continued to talk to the counter lady.
"It requires 100 silver coins (5,000 RMB). After completing the commission, the guild will give the adventurer who accepts the commission a corresponding social contribution evaluation and reward.”After the counter lady entered work mode, her mood quickly calmed down. After carefully calculating for a while, she quickly replied.
"Alright." Gong Yu was not particularly sensitive to the amount of money. He did not know if the commission fee was expensive or cheap. Anyway, silver coins were easy to come by, so he paid directly.
After the lady at the counter filled out the commission form, she first asked Gongyou to find a place in the hall to sit down and wait. Then, she called the young swordsman over to lecture him. The other three girls who had not spoken from the beginning to the end were also lectured.
While waiting, Tu Youyou carefully examined the layout of the guild hall. There was a huge cork board on the side of the hall, which was embedded in the wall of the main building. It should be the notice board for the commission. Now, it was probably because a large number of adventurers had torn off the commission after reading it, so the remaining paper nailed on the cork board was very sparse. It was no wonder that the young swordsman was pacing around the counter, wanting to take the ready-made commission directly.
Just when Gongyou was so bored that he wanted to take a break, the young man and girl finally finished their lecture and walked over.
"Let's go." The young swordsman greeted Gongyou and walked out of the Adventurer's Guild.
Because they still needed to buy a carriage, and the adventurer team needed to go back and pack their luggage, everyone agreed to wait at the town gate at noon before splitting up.
The main labor force in this town was manpower and horsepower, which meant that it was not convenient to use magic as a substitute for machinery at the border. Therefore, long-distance travel still required horses. If there was too much luggage or goods needed to be transported, they would drive carriages.
He had seen the carriage at the market two days ago. It was a simple wooden block with four wheels. The more advanced ones would even use waterproof cloth to build a canopy. When there was no rain, it could block the sun and wind. He was not short of money, so he decided to buy a high-end model.
In the end, after talking to the merchants in the market for half a day, he found out that the best kind of carriage with a sturdy wooden frame and a canopy would cost at least 5 gold coins (15,000 RMB). Moreover, the horses had to be purchased separately. Moreover, such high-end carriages were currently out of stock, and it would take several days to urgently customize them.
However, this was not a problem for the bold and overbearing common reason. He pointed at the high-end carriage that the merchant used for his own use and said," Then I'll take this one. Name a price."”
"This…I still need to use it.”The peddler said with some difficulty. Under normal circumstances, no one would sell their own car.
"Name your price." Gong You calmly repeated the reminder, looking at the other party with a hint of boldness in his eyes.
"I spent 6 gold coins (18,000 RMB) to customize it, and then I spent dozens of silver coins (2,000 RMB) to decorate it. If I sell it to you, it will delay my work…" The merchant said with a heart of refusal. He did not really want to sell it at this time.
"7 gold coins (21,000 RMB), I'll buy it. I'll pay you 1 gold coin (3,000 RMB) as compensation.”Gong You's words were so loud that the peddler's heart shook.
"No, unless…I add more points?”The peddler's eyes flashed with greed. He felt that he could sell his car at this price, but he wanted more.
"Then a total of 9 gold coins (27,000 RMB). If it doesn't work, I'll find another shop.”After saying that, Gong You turned around and was about to leave. After all, this was not the only shop doing business in the market.
"Alright, alright, I'll sell it." The peddler quickly pulled Gong You back, immediately showing that he had surrendered to Gold Coin.
In fact, the merchant had only spent 5 gold coins and 20 silver coins (16,000 rmb) when he ordered the carriage. He had played a trick just now. Moreover, the decorations on the carriage were only worth a dozen silver coins (hundreds of rmb). The loss of labor was only 20 silver coins (1,000 rmb). The old carriage, which was worth nearly 6 gold coins, was sold second-hand and earned 3 gold coins (9,000 rmb). He was very happy.
"Well, how much is the horse?" After seeing that the carriage was done, Gong You looked at the inferior horse pulling the carriage.
"This horse costs at least 40 gold coins (120,000 RMB). This is the market price.”The peddler looked at the old horse that had been used for several years and decided to sell it when the opportunity arose.
Hearing this price, even someone who didn't understand the market could sense that something was wrong.
Is this horse really worth 40 gold coins?』
[Omniscient: The inferior horse pulling the carriage is a civilian horse. The market price of a young new horse is 30 gold coins, and the market price of an old horse is 25 gold coins.]
" What's the price of a horse for non-civilians?』
[Omniscient: Although military warhorses are prohibited from being sold in the market, they can still be marked with coins. A good warhorse is worth 100 to 200 gold coins.]
"Tsk tsk, what a scam." Gong You cursed this black-hearted merchant in his heart.
"I don't want this 40 gold coin (old horse) anymore.”After saying that, Gong You turned around and pointed at a new horse in the distance."I want that horse, but I will only pay 30 gold coins (90,000 RMB).”
The peddler knew that he had met an expert. He quickly stopped Gong You and said,"That (new) horse is not mine. Consider it a big loss. I'll sell this (old) horse to you for 30 gold coins. It matches this cart better."”
"No, I have my eyes on that (new) horse. Since it's not yours, sell me the carriage first, and then I'll go over there to buy a horse.”Gongyou didn't plan to continue buying horses in this shop. Who said that horses and carriages had to be bought together? He wanted to buy them separately now.
In the end, the peddler tried to persuade Gongyou for a long time, but he did not change his mind. He could only sell the carriage and not the horse. He still could not bear to part with the premium of 3 gold coins.
After spending 31 gold coins (93,000 RMB) to buy a strong and inferior horse from another horse store, he began to drive the carriage to the market to sweep the goods. From food, fresh water, daily necessities, camping equipment, horse feed, to candles, oil lamps, and all kinds of strange bottles and jars, he bought everything that caught his eye. From the perspective of passers-by, he really looked like a merchant.
Seeing that it was almost noon, Gongyou asked the hired coachman to drive the carriage back to the hotel. That's right, hire someone to drive the carriage. After all, Gongyou didn't know how to drive the carriage himself...
After having lunch in the hotel, he packed a few more portions of food before checking out from the owner. In the end, he found that he had spent 37 silver coins in the hotel for four days (300 x 4 = 1,200 RMB for the best room, 600 RMB for extra meals, and 50 RMB for cleaning and service). It was said that this was the income of an ordinary person for more than half a month. It seemed that the expenses of living outside were very high.
After all the luggage had been loaded onto the carriage, he asked the hired worker to drive the carriage to the town gate. He paid two silver coins for the morning's wages and let the coachman go back by himself. Then, he waited alone for a while before the four young adventurers leisurely walked over. They chatted with each other for a while before getting on the carriage one after another. Only the young swordsman sat in the driver's seat.
The carriage slowly drove out of the border town. He looked back at the high wall and the watchtower. He finally left the town where he had stayed for three and a half days and embarked on a new journey. He wondered if the future would be as smooth as usual.
.
The young swordsman slowly drove the carriage along the muddy path that had been trampled by the passing travelers. Beside him was the common sense of driving that he had learned for the entire afternoon. Along the way, he had also tried to change hands to drive. After half a day, he had almost learned it. Although he had not mastered some difficult skills, at least he would not let the horse run off the road.
Seeing that the sky was slowly darkening and the horses were tired after pulling the carriage for a long time, the two decided to camp here for the night and continue their journey tomorrow morning.
"At this speed, we should be able to reach the Water Capital in another six days.”The young swordsman drove the carriage out of the main road and stopped on a large flat grassland by the forest.
"You've been to the Water Capital?" Gong You asked casually after hearing it. Then, he jumped down from the driver's seat and stretched lazily.
"No, but I heard from the free merchants in the village that I've wanted to go to the city since I was young.”The young swordsman answered as he untied the horse's rope. His tone was full of the excitement of a child on a spring outing. After he tied the horse to the tree trunk, he turned around and shouted," Hey, girls, we're going to camp here.”
Not long after, three girls got out of the car from behind the hood. All three of them were carrying weapons. It seemed that they did not intend to leave their weapons in the car.
"This place is so remote." The young lady warrior looked around and complained. It was her first time camping in the wild, and she was originally full of novelty, but after seeing the surrounding wilderness, she revealed a disappointed expression.
"There's no other way. It's already dark. If we continue walking, we won't be able to see the road.”The young swordsman walked over from the edge of the forest while rubbing his sore shoulders and waist. He then pointed to the south." And this place is close to the river, so it's convenient to fetch water.”
Gong You tiptoed and looked to the south. There was indeed a low area there, but he couldn't see the river from here. It should be a little far away.
"I'll go feed the horses. Who's going to fetch water?”The young swordsman looked at the four of them and asked. They were not familiar with each other and could not order others to work.
"I'll go." Gong You couldn't push the physical work to a girl, so he took the initiative to answer.
The young swordsman nodded and turned around to feed the horse. Gong You also returned to the carriage to get a wooden bucket and slowly walked towards the river.
As they got closer, they could clearly see the surrounding terrain. There was a small river running from east to west in the south, which should be a tributary of a large river. There was a mud road dozens of meters away from the river. The east led to the Water Capital and flowed through the core area of the kingdom. The west was the border town, which was also the western border of the kingdom. There were short grass near the road, and the north was a forest. They could even see the mountains in the distance.
By the time he came back with two buckets of water, a bonfire had already been lit on the lawn beside the carriage. It looked like a camping trip. The four members of the adventure team were unloading the necessities from the carriage, such as pots, ingredients, and a lot of new things that they had bought in the morning. When he saw it, he went up to help for a while before he finished moving them.
"If only there was wine." The young swordsman who sat by the bonfire after finishing his work had just untied his sword from his belt when he said this.
The young warrior girl who came over with food scoffed at the young swordsman's muttering. She sat cross-legged on the grass far away from him, too lazy to respond to his stupidity.
The young mage's footsteps were very light. She walked to the bonfire and sat down. She placed her magic staff on her lap and shook her head." We didn't bring any wine. Even if we did, you're not allowed to drink."”
They did not even prepare medicine, let alone wine. This newly formed adventure team had neither money nor time to prepare these things. Other than the weapons they carried and a few clothes to change into, everything in the camp was provided by the common people.
Gong You placed the pot of water on the shelf beside the bonfire and sat down around the bonfire. The young priestess who walked at the back sat beside the other young girls.
"Speaking of which, is this your first time going to the Water Capital?”The young swordsman, who was a little bored while waiting for the water to boil, asked. The girls who heard his question also looked over curiously.
"Ah, yes, I plan to go to the capital to open a shop and do some small business. I should be living there for a period of time.”Gong You, who was playing with the bonfire, was a step slower. He thought for a moment before answering," Also, my name is Gong You. You can just call me by my name.”
"Me too. Just call me Yuki. I'm a famous swordsman.”The young swordsman, Yu Shu, patted the sword beside him as he spoke. He then pointed at the three girls sitting diagonally across him and said," Her name is Luana. I only met her yesterday. The other two are Kloei and Hilo, whom I met this morning..."
" I'll introduce myself. I don't need you to help us…" The young warrior Luana interrupted the long-winded swordsman Yuuki before she smiled and said to the others," My name is Luana. Everyone can call me that. I'm a Pugilist, but the adventurers call me a fighter who fights with fists and feet.”
"I'm Kloei, from the Magic Academy of the Capital of Commerce. I'm a beginner…official Magician. You can just call me by my name.”The young mage, Kulloai, introduced herself in a calm voice. There was almost no fluctuation in her tone. She only paused when she introduced her class, and changed her expression to one that even laymen could understand.
Seeing that the four of them had turned to look at her, the young priestess Hilo hurriedly introduced herself in a flustered tone," I, I am Hilo, a priestess from the Church of Earth Mother in the border town. Please take care of me.”
After the introduction, the young priestess, Hilo, stood up and bowed. It was obvious that she was a very serious and careful person. Of course, she was also well-educated.
The five of them chatted for a while before they found out that the adventurer team had only formed this morning, just a few minutes before the mission was issued. Even Wizard Kulloai and Priest Shiloh had only registered as adventurers this morning, and then they were immediately persuaded by Swordsman Yuki to form a team.
.
Yuki was the second son of a typical rural family. When he was young, he dreamed of becoming a knight because of the stories he read about knights defeating monsters, fighting evil, and saving the world. Although he did not know what he had to do to become a knight, he was at least sure that he would not be able to become a knight if he continued to stay in the countryside. That was why he came to a border town when he was just an adult. In the end, he became an adventurer in order to obtain the right to legally own weapons.
He had been very courageous and active since he was a child. Before he was eight, he had climbed trees to catch birds and fished in the river. There was no place around the village that he had not set foot in. When he was ten, he had chased away goblin cubs that came to the village to steal vegetables at night. However, when the villagers knew about it, no one, including his parents, praised him. Instead, they said that he was reckless. Even his close brother warned him to run away when he saw goblins attacking like an ordinary child.
He felt that he did not fit in with the others. From that year onwards, he began to secretly save money, hiding copper coins one by one. After spending five years saving up his spare change, he finally gathered enough money to buy an iron sword and a breastplate. On the eve of his sixteenth birthday, he bought these two basic adventurer equipment from a free merchant who often visited the village.
Not long after his birthday, he bid farewell to his weak family and stupid villagers. He left his hometown and embarked on the first step of his journey to become a powerful knight. He cleaned the sewers of the border town and cleaned up the giant rats.
" What kind of person is he in the eyes of the villagers?』
[Omniscient: A delinquent youth with nothing to do]
.
Luana was born in a small village north of Border Town. As the only child in her family, she was doted on by her parents since she was young. Her family was relatively rich compared to her fellow villagers. Her father was once a ruby-level adventurer until he was shot in the knee by an arrow. At the age of 27, his father retired from the Adventurers Guild and returned home with the money he had saved for many years to marry his childhood sweetheart's mother. She was the fruit of their love.
Before she was born, her father was still an adventurer. His father was a famous martialist in the border town. Even bronze adventurers might not be able to compare with him in martial arts. It was just that martial arts were naturally weaker than those who used sharp weapons, so his level was only at the gemstone adventurer level. Even so, her father still joined a powerful adventurer team. In the past ten years, he followed the adventurer team and traveled half of the western part of the kingdom. She had conquered countless monsters and saved countless villages. She had grown up listening to her father's heroic stories when he was adventuring.
Because of this, she had loved martial arts since she was young. She had short brown hair and a ponytail. She was determined to become a great martial artist like her father. She practiced martial arts day after day, year after year. Although her mother was very sad, she did not stop her. Her father was very happy about her martial arts. Every time she came back from training, he would do his best to guide her.
This kind of hard but fulfilling life lasted until her sixteenth birthday a few days ago. On that day, her mother wanted her to marry a boy from the same village. Even her father, who had supported her unconditionally since she was young, did not object to her mother's suggestion. For the first time in her life, she quarreled with her parents. The next day, when her parents were not paying attention, she left home after leaving a letter.
According to her father's experiences and stories when she was young, she immediately registered as an adventurer when she came to the border town. Unfortunately, her father's adventure team had been disbanded a few years ago. After doing odd jobs for a few days, she accidentally met Yuki, who was out on an adventure from her hometown, yesterday. Then, they naturally formed a team together.
Who did her parents choose for her?』
" Omniscient: Her parents want her to marry the son of the village chief."
.
Kulloai was born in a remote mountain village northeast of Border Town. She was the second child in her family. She had an elder sister and a younger sister. Her family had been poor since she was young, but her parents loved them very much at that time, so they lived a happy life. Every night when she was alone, she would laugh happily.
When she was six years old, an adventurer went to the forest near her hometown to fight monsters and stayed at her house at night. One of the mages helped the children to strengthen their magic talent and told her father that she had excellent magic talent. Then, her ecstatic parents sold everything they could, including her sister.
From the age of seven, she left home with her younger sister. The two of them lived in the noble's house that bought her sister and sister. They stayed there until she finished her basic education at the age of eleven. Then, she was sent to the magic academy in the commercial capital and stayed there to study magic through the sponsorship of the noble.
She did not know if this was considered happiness, but she knew that her magic talent was really good. The tuition fees in the academy varied according to the talent of the students, ranging from a few gold coins to hundreds of gold coins, and her annual tuition fee was 7 gold coins.(21,000 rmb), belonging to the top few percent of all the students. In just five years of school, she had been promoted to the senior year and was also a part-time teaching assistant. Moreover, at the age of 16, she had mastered two kinds of spells and could cast magic three times a day.
Half a month ago, when the academy was on holiday, she took advantage of the holiday to return home to visit her parents whom she had not seen for many years. When she passed by the border town, she wanted to earn some extra money and use it as a way to go out and train. That was why she registered as an adventurer. Although she had now joined Youshu's adventure team, it was only temporary. Because she had not graduated from the magic academy, she needed to return to the magic academy to continue her studies after the holiday ended.
She wore glasses, had long brown hair, held a Garnet Staff, wore a loose magic robe, and wore a pointed magic hat. She sat quietly by the bonfire and told the story of her near-perfect life as a top student, making the other teenagers envious.
" Compared to her peers, how is her strength?』
[Omniscient: If compared among adventurers of the same age group, her strength is above average. Although she lacks experience, her potential is good.]
.
Hilo was an orphan raised in the nursery of the Church of Earth Mother in the border town. To her, her sixteenth birthday meant adulthood. It meant that she had to choose what path she wanted to take in the future. She wanted to continue to stay in the temple to serve God for life, or leave the temple to live in the secular world. This was a common thing for the people of this world. Everyone would make a choice early for the future.
Her hands were very white and thin. In the past, she only volunteered for the temple when needed, but she did not leave too many traces of labor. Over the years, she had seen countless injured adventurers come to the temple of Mother Earth to seek healing miracles, so she knew about this unfamiliar profession. Therefore, she chose this only choice and came to the Adventurers Guild to register as a new Adventurer of the White Porcelain Rank.
She had long brown hair, a slender face, and a slim body. She sat upright, her slender hands holding a staff that was as long as her height. There was a prayer rune on the staff, which was also a substitute for the holy seal when performing miracles. She wore a gold-rimmed white robe that could show her identity as a priest, and the loose robe could completely cover her petite body.
" She's too thin. Does she eat her fill every day?』
[Omniscient: Negative. It can only eat its fill occasionally. Most of the time, it is not hungry.]
.
Under the starry sky with two bright moons, there was a flowing river. On the grass not far from the river, five travelers sat in a circle around a bonfire. A thin smoke rose from the bonfire in the middle. Behind them was a dark forest. There were many bulges in the depths of the forest. There were uninhabited hills, hidden in unknown dangers.
Tonight's dinner was cooked by Luana the warrior and Shiloh the priest. They used premium jerky bought at a high price, skewered on thin iron skewers and roasted with charcoal fire, paired with rare special seasonings. The swordsman Yuki was very satisfied with the fragrant and crispy texture, and he ate piece after piece. Even the mage Kulloa, who appeared calm and beautiful, ate more than usual. When everyone finished eating the jerky, they even drank a bowl of mixed sweet soup made with several kinds of beans.
The five of them had a pleasant dinner while chatting. The night wind made the bonfire a little weak. The swordsman, Yuki, smacked his tongue as he threw the dead wood that he had chopped with his sword into the fire. After boiling hot water with a large kettle hanging beside the bonfire, everyone did not plan to add more wood to the fire.
Divine Priest Hiro washed everyone's cutlery with a small amount of hot water, then carefully wiped and cleaned them up. Meanwhile, Gongyou and Swordsman Yuki went to move the canvas tent.
"Do we really not need to arrange for someone to keep watch?”Gong You looked at the dark surroundings and asked uneasily," If the night watchman is too tired, you can rest in the car tomorrow.”
"You really know how to worry, but this does look like an adventure in the wild.”Swordsman Yuki used his usual hearty voice to persuade him." There's nothing else around except for cowards like goblins.”
Everyone spread a waterproof blanket on the hay pile. This was a blanket made from the fur of wild beasts. Then, they covered it with a soft bed sheet. This way, they should not be pricked by the hay when they slept. After setting up a tent to shelter themselves from the cool night wind and sprinkling mosquito repellent powder around them, the two simple camps were completed.
It was not comfortable to ride on the carriage on the dirt road. After working for half a day, everyone quickly fell into a deep sleep. In the dead of the night, the bonfire in the camp gradually extinguished because there was no new fuel to add, leaving only the dim moonlight to illuminate.
Several pairs of green eyes suddenly lit up in the dark night. They were secretly observing the forest and circling around the camp. It was a group of monsters that were only about one meter tall-goblins.
When the Goblins got closer to observe, they realized that the group of travelers did not arrange for anyone to keep watch. Instead, they were divided into two groups of men and women, who set up tents on both sides of the carriage to rest. After observing for a while, they realized that there were adventurers among them. One of the girls was a mage, and she was a huge threat to them.
Some Goblins left to gather their own kind, while some Goblins couldn't wait any longer and were ready to kill the travelers. One Goblin took advantage of the fact that all the humans were sleeping and walked around the extinguished campfire with a broken dagger. It walked very slowly. Having lived in the forest for many years, it knew how to walk without attracting the attention of wild beasts. This was the survival experience that the other Goblins had taught it. It didn't wake anyone or startle the horses. It cut open the tent and came to the sleeping wizard, Kulloei. It raised the old dagger high above its head and stabbed down with all its strength.
"Aaah!" The sorrowful mage Kulloai woke up with a scream after being hit in the abdomen and her internal organs were cut open. The moment she opened her eyes, she met the goblin's eyes, revealing the cruelty and ruthlessness of a wild beast hunting.
Wizard Kulloai's expression was twisted, and the mask of calmness was gone. She shook her plump chest, swinging her hands and feet that had not been trained much, kicking, punching, struggling, and resisting.
Seeing Wizard Kloei wake up, the goblin gripped the old dagger in her abdomen and started to twist it wildly, causing blood to splatter everywhere, dyeing her green face red. Wizard Kloei's eyes rolled back, and she fainted from the pain. Fortunately, Luana, who was sleeping next to her, was awakened. She kicked the blood-stained goblin away, and the tent was overturned. The old dagger rolled to the side, and Wizard Kloei trembled as the dagger was pulled out, and blood flowed out at an even faster rate.
There were Goblins who had gathered around because there were no tents to cover them. Luana the Warrior stood guard beside Wizard Kloei. Meanwhile, Priest Hilo, who had been slightly slower, had also been awakened. He quickly ran over and picked up his companion, who he had only known for less than a day." Miss Kloei, are you alright?"”
" Ugh, ugh…" Wizard Kulloai was in so much pain that he couldn't complete his sentence. Instead, he drooled at the corner of his mouth, and his throat was so tight that he couldn't make a sound.
" Please, please cheer up…" Seeing that Kloei did not respond, Priest Hilo shouted under the moonlight while shaking Kloei. However, his palm was stained with a sticky dark red liquid.
Mage Kulloai's stomach was cut open by a rusty dagger and stirred. His entire abdomen was in a terrible state. It was so miserable that Priest Hilo, who had just discovered the injury, let out a small deep gasp. However, Mage Kulloai was obviously still alive. Although she was spasming, she was not dead. This kind of injury could still be saved in time.
Priestess Hilo bit her lip. She held her staff in front of her chest with one hand and pressed the wound on Wizard Kloei's abdomen with the other as if she was trying to prevent his internal organs from bursting out. She knelt beside Kloei and begged for God's miracle." Merciful Mother Earth, please heal this man's pain with your royal hand.”
This was Little Yu's prayer, a miracle bestowed upon the believers by the gods. Priest Hilo's palm emitted a faint light, and then the light was transferred to the body of the mage, Kulloei, and concentrated on her cut abdomen. As the light disappeared like bubbles, her cut abdomen began to gradually heal, and even the damaged internal organs inside were repaired without being seen directly.
Of course, the goblins were unwilling to watch the travelers recover without being disturbed. They wanted to rush over and interrupt the priest, Shiloh, who was pleading for a miracle, but they could not get past the warrior, Luanna. As time passed, not only did the mage, Kulloy, recover from his injuries, but even the swordsman, Youshu, who was sleeping on the other side of the carriage, also reacted. He finally noticed the abnormality around him.
"You damn goblins! How dare you hurt my companion!" Swordsman Yuki gripped his longsword tightly with both hands and ran over. He used the momentum of his charge to stab forward and pierce through the throat of the goblin closest to him.
"...Click..Click..." The goblin that was stabbed could only make a few strange sounds before it died. There was no priest here to heal its wounds.
"Come on! Kill all of you!" Swordsman Yuki forcefully pulled out his sword, but he was splashed with blood. However, he did not have time to wipe it off before he turned around and slashed his sword diagonally at the shoulder of another goblin.
Swordsman Yushu ignored the two goblins who were lying at his feet and splattered blood everywhere. He roared mightily,"What's wrong? Come on! Come over here!"
The young Yuki's eyes were red from killing. His heart was beating rapidly, and his muscles were red and bulging as his blood flowed faster. This made his hand full of strength as he swung his sword. All his energy was focused on the few goblins in front of him.
"Youshu! Be careful of your feet!" Before Luana's words reached the swordsman's ears, a rusty short sword stabbed into his calf.
"Ah! You little brat!" Swordsman Yuuki looked at the goblin that had been slashed on the shoulder and fell to the ground. It was the goblin that had attacked his calf.
Swordsman Yuki swung his sword at the back of the goblin's neck. This time, it finally breathed its last. However, in the next moment, other goblins pounced on his back.
"Don't get in the way!" Swordsman Yuki turned around and brandished his longsword. The blade that was stained with blood and grease became sharper. With one slash, he cut off the arm of the goblin that was holding the weapon.
The goblins were obviously frightened by the swordsman's fierce appearance and slowly retreated. However, the swordsman would not let them go. He held his sword with both hands and chased after them. Luana, the warrior, did not notice anything unusual because she had squatted down to check on the mage Kulloei's injuries. Although the goblins were retreating, they did not panic.
Just as Swordsman Yuki was about ten meters away from the edge of the forest, two Goblins suddenly jumped out from behind the trees on both sides. They grabbed one of his legs and pulled him to the ground. He had no money and didn't buy a helmet because he didn't think it looked good. He only had a thin breastplate and took it off because he thought it was troublesome to sleep. At this moment, he didn't have any protective equipment other than his linen clothes to protect himself. He was slashed by the Goblins, and his body was covered in wounds. Blood flowed all over the ground. There was no way to save him. He died in the wilderness for no reason.
"... How could this be... Yuki..." Luana, who had stood up again, had not even had time to save him when she saw the young swordsman Yuki being dismembered. She stood there in a daze with a pale face. Although she had just teamed up with this young man not long ago, she had already recognized him as a partner in her heart.
"…You two, leave quickly. Go and ask Gongyou to go with you.”" I'll stop them," Luana said in a low voice. After her companion died, she was already very impressive just by clenching her trembling fists and putting on a defensive stance.”
" But, but..." Priest Hiro wanted to refute Luana's warning, but she could see that the situation was beyond redemption.
Mage Kulloai's wounds had been healed by the miracle of Little Heal. His eyes were still closed, and he could not move. His breathing was shallow and rapid, and his reaction was weak. This was because although the external wounds and damaged internal organs had healed, the blood loss could not be recovered immediately.
The two girls observed carefully and found that a large group of goblins was slowly approaching their remaining prey. They were most likely still on guard against Luana the warrior, but it was obvious that they would swarm them soon. Divine Priest Hilo looked at the mages Kulloa and Luana beside him, as well as the swordsman Yuki who had died in the distance, and was at a loss for ideas.
Luana sighed when she saw that the two of them were still in a daze. She took a deep breath and took the initiative to face the goblins with a determined expression. She would never forgive them for killing her adventurer team.
"Hey, ya!" Luana, the warrior, tightened her strong limbs. She used the essence of the fighting skills her father had taught her. Her body and mind were trained to the extreme. She hit a goblin's chest beautifully and crushed its heart.
Luana the Warrior shook off the enemies who had vomited all over the ground and fell to the ground. She turned around and slashed at the other Goblin's neck, causing it to break due to the intense damage. At the same time, she took a step forward and swept her right foot across the air. This pure roundhouse kick caused the two Goblins to crash into the other Goblins behind them. In a short time, several Goblins were paralyzed on the ground. And four of them were already dead.
Whether it was their physique, intelligence, or strength, the Goblins were almost all like children. As long as they were not careless, an ordinary adult could fight two or three Goblins at once. Adventurers with some training could fight four or five Goblins at once, while Martialists with advanced skills could fight six or seven Goblins at once.
Although it didn't seem like a problem, the goblins were a disaster because there were too many of them. The short period of intense exercise caused Luana to pant and sweat appeared on her forehead. Her clothes were also wet from the sweat.
" You, you guys, stay away from her, stop…" Divine Priest Hiro waved her staff back and forth with her slender arms desperately, trying to drive away the goblins. However, under the influence of fear, she could not hit her opponent effectively. Although there were monks who were good at fighting among the clergymen, she had never practiced close combat.
Just as the girls were about to run out of energy and despair from the large number of goblins, a shout came from the carriage behind them.
"Hurry up and come up." At some point in time, Gong You had already put a carriage on the inferior horse and was now sitting on the carriage and shouting at the three women.
Shiloh's eyes lit up when she saw this. She helped Wizard Kloa to the carriage, while Luana guarded behind them. When the two of them were pulled into the carriage, she quickly kicked away the nearby goblins, then turned around and jumped into the carriage.
When they saw this, they immediately whipped their horsewhips and drove the carriage out of the encirclement. The goblins that were close to the carriage were knocked over. Even though they brandished their old weapons and hit the carriage, it only produced a few dull sounds of wood knocking. They could only watch as the carriage sped away.
.
Only after they had run far away did they reduce the speed of the car. When they had the chance, they turned back to look at the situation inside the car hood. They had walked too quickly before, and many of their luggage had been abandoned in the camp. However, escaping was already a blessing in disguise. They could not ask for more. At this time, the windproof lamp in the car hood had been lit, reflecting the dark faces of the three women.
Priest Hilo hugged her staff tightly and leaned against the hood of the carriage to rest. She looked completely different from when she was waving her staff in panic.
" Can she be trained to become a Monk?』
[Omniscient: Yes]
'What about me?』
[Omniscient: Very difficult]
" Let's talk to Hilo when we have the chance. She should be very talented in combat.'Gong You could not help but think wrongly. After escaping death, he comforted himself with jokes.
Luana, who was sitting opposite of Priest Shiloh, looked dull. Ever since she got on the bus, she had been uninterested in anything. This was probably the situation where there was no greater sorrow than a dead heart. She could only hope that time would heal the pain in her heart.
Is she very close to Youshu?』
" Omniscient: Negative. The two have only known each other for a day."
Then why is she so sad?』
[Omniscient: Self-blame. The death of her companion was a huge blow to her who had never experienced setbacks since she was young.]
" I can't think of anything to comfort her at this time. I can only hope that she's strong enough.'They mourned for the young swordsman Yuki and hoped that Luanna could sympathize with him.
Mage Kulloai lay beside Priest Hiro. Ever since they had met, this girl had always been calm and rational. She was dressed neatly and treated others politely. She had never been so sloppy. Her face and clothes were covered with mud, grass roots, and other dust. She was too lazy to clean them up. Her hat had been abandoned in the camp, and her hair was as messy as a pot of weeds.
Is she asleep?』
[Omniscient: He fainted.]
" He's probably tired, but it's good enough that he's still alive. Who cares about their image at this time?'He thought of Yuki, who had lost his life. Compared to that young man, Kulloai was already very lucky to be alive even though he had been stabbed in the stomach.
Due to the goblin attack, Gong You didn't plan to continue to the Water Capital. Instead, he turned around and drove back to the town at the border. Half an hour passed slowly amidst the quiet, but also the sound of the carriage wheels rolling over the rocks. It was a cool night breeze, but Kulloai started to have a high fever. Her sweat made her thick mage robe wet and cold.
At this moment, the mage Kulloai suddenly woke up. Her empty eyes focused slightly, and the saliva in her throat made a gurgling sound. Her lips trembled, and she repeated a sentence in a low voice that was unclear whether it was a voice or a noise," Kill... me... ah... kill me."”
Priest Hiro was the first to notice that something was wrong with Kulloy. She lifted Kulloy's clothes and groped around to check her injuries. Even though her robe was stained with blood, her abdomen was flat and soft, and there was not a single wound on it.
"…No wounds? But why does it look so painful?" Shiloh muttered in a low voice, not knowing what to do. She first looked at Luana, who was still in a daze, and then looked at the driver.
The movement in the hood attracted the driver's attention. He turned around and looked at the mage, Kulloai, who had been lying motionless since he got on the car. He finally realized that something was wrong.
'What's wrong with her?』
[Omniscient: Poisoned. Extremely painful now.]
'When?』
[Omniscient: When stabbed, the goblin's dagger is poisoned.]
"What will happen?』
[Omniscient: Unable to breathe, tongue trembling, body spasms, body temperature high fever, turbid consciousness, and then death]
Gong You looked at Wizard Kulloai's painful appearance as he was tortured by the poison, and he couldn't bear it.
'Can I still be saved?』
" Omniscient: If you use the antidote immediately when you are injured, you can get rid of the poison. If you use the antidote after the poison spreads, you can only slow down the spread of the poison. Without the antidote, she can last up to eight hours. If you don't let the high priest use the miracle antidote before this, she will die."
Eight hours... No, there should be only seven and a half hours left. They had to send Kulloai back to town as soon as possible. There should be a high priest in the temple there. They had been driving the horses at normal speed for more than six hours. If the horses were to run at full speed now, they should be able to make it back to town in time even if it was difficult to travel at night.
So, he reminded Priest Hiro that Wizard Kulloai might have been poisoned, and instructed her and Luana to take good care of Kulloai. He then found a spare torch from the hood of the carriage and lit it up to illuminate the surrounding several meters of road. Then, he drove the carriage at a faster speed and drove to the border town overnight.
After a bumpy night, when everyone was exhausted, they finally rushed back to the border town at the darkest dawn before dawn. After paying ten times the entrance tax to the town and bribing each person with a silver coin, they were allowed to enter the town. They passed the Adventurers Guild and headed directly to the Temple of Earth Mother. With the recommendation of the priest, they met the chief priest in the early morning.
After seeing Gongyou sincerely donate one gold coin (3000 RMB), the priest summoned an old priest and handed Mage Kulloai to the old priest to take care of. After seeing that everything was arranged properly, the sleepy Gongyou followed the church staff to the guest room of the temple to rest. It was a terrible day.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。