chapter1

Mornings in Yorktown are quiet and serene, with golden daylight shining on the rooftops of the cottages and a gentle breeze mixed with a faint smell of the sea, whispering to the trees on both sides of the road.

It was like a still painting, the sky was blue, the clouds were white, the trees were green, and even the most impatient would become calm when they were in this painting, until a fried-haired cat came running from the end of the street and tore the paper with its claws, and the town came to life.

It was a cat of ordinary colors, yellow and white, fat, with a bell hanging around its neck, apparently with an owner. It deftly and swiftly weaved up the stairs, among the branches, turning its head from time to time, and in its erect glass-colored pupils was undisguised contempt—a contempt for the two men who were in hot pursuit after it.

Chasing the big fat cat were two men, one with dark skin, a rough look, and muscular like a moving mountain, while the other had a healthy complexion of wheat and was exceptionally handsome, with a figure that was just right to make women crazy.

The rugged man said, "Takales, you are on your left, I am on my right, outflank!" ”

The handsome man said, "Good." ”

Takales and the Monhama soldiers split up, one behind the fat cat to let his guard down, and the other went around the other road to cut off the fat cat's path.

"What a blessing it is to be a cat," said Takales, "who has fish to eat and soup to drink without doing anything, and you see how fat you are, bigger than many puppies." Mrs. Martha is so kind to you, not only giving you the best food, but also bathing you and taking you in the sun, why do you have to run away from home every month? I really can't figure it out. ”

The big fat cat can't understand human language, it has been running for too long, and it is a little tired, and the humans chasing it can't catch up with it for a while, so it decides to rest for a while.

The big fat cat jumped on the branch of a big tree, squatted like a fat vase, it squinted, licked its paws, and then wiped its face, lazily "meow~" barked, and there was no strength at all when it ran to die.

"Yes," said Takales, "stay there, don't move!" ”

Takales quickened his pace and ran towards the tree where the big fat cat was staying, but just as he was about to reach the bottom of the tree, the big fat cat jumped and ran away, leaving only one cat fart and two cat eggs.

The big fat cat had enough strength, and this time it ran faster, but Tacales was not in a hurry to chase it, which made the big fat cat who looked back to observe the enemy's situation confused, why didn't this human chase me? And at this moment, the big fat cat suddenly felt that it was dark in front of him, and it screamed in horror, "Meow~" hoarsely, but it still couldn't see anything - it was put into a sack!

Carrying the wrestling sack, he smiled with a mouthful of white teeth, which contrasted with his swarthy complexion, and said, "A silver coin has arrived." ”

"Yes," said Takales, "at least breakfast has been served." ”

Monthama patted the wild cat, which had arched the sack in a strange shape, and said, "Hey, brother, if you are willing to betray Madame Martha, I guess you will have enough money for the week." ”

Takales punched Monhama and said, "Spare me!" He remembered that the white-haired Mrs. Martha had fallen into his arms like a sixteen-year-old girl, and wept pitifully, and cried that her cat had gone missing, and that the scene was a cold sweat.

Monthama laughed and said, "The women of all Yorktown want to take advantage of you." ”

Takales smiled helplessly.

Mrs. Martha, the caretaker of the town's librarian, is in her seventies, wears reading glasses, and leisurely flips through ancient books in a rocking chair. When Takales and Monthama returned her cat, she jumped out of her rocking chair and rushed to Takales in three steps and two steps, without looking at the fat cat screaming wildly in the sack, and hugged Takales happily.

Mrs. Martha said, "Tarka you are so capable, worthy of being the youngest man in Yorktown." ”

Monhama covered his mouth and laughed, but Tacales only smiled bitterly, and said, "Mrs. Martha, can you stop holding me, this ...... I...... I'm hot, and I'm not young and promising, so it's okay to get nothing. ”

Mrs. Martha let go of Tacales and fanned his broad sleeves as a fan, and she said, "Aren't you going to run a mercenary group?" The men in our town are either fishermen or follow their fathers in business, and you are the first to start a mercenary group. ”

Takales said: "How can a mercenary group be so easy to do, a small mercenary group must gather ten people, and these ten people must include more than four professions." Seeing that Mrs. Martha was puzzled, he explained, "The current professions are divided into knights, thieves, archers, magicians, wizards, summoners, and pharmacists, the first three are all good to say, and the last four are rare professions, even the apprentice-level ones are mostly divided up by the formed mercenary group, where can we get our turn." ”

Takales was a little depressed when he said this, and his vigorous golden hair seemed to have darkened a little, which distressed Mrs. Martha.

Mrs. Martha took two silver coins, gave them to Takales, and said, "Don't be discouraged, you are young and handsome, and one day you will have your own mercenary group." ”

While thinking about whether there is a mercenary group or not, Tacales has nothing to do with whether he is handsome or not, and he excuses himself and says, "Mrs. Martha, our reward is a silver coin." ”

Mrs. Martha smiled kindly: "If you want to have your own business, you can't do it without filling your belly." ”

Taccales covered his belly, which he had accidentally screamed, and laughed embarrassedly, and his laughter shook Mrs. Martha's head dizzy, and she pretended to lean on his chest, which embarrassed and bewildered, and his companion Mohama laughed unkindly.

Tacales and Monhama had breakfast at Toby's Restaurant, a popular restaurant in Yorktown whose owner is Toby.

Toby is a burly middle-aged man with a long scar on the left side of his face, which makes him look slightly hideous. It is said that this scar was left by him in his early years as a mercenary, and it was his medal of merit, which he often used to brag to others about how brave and invincible he was back then. Of course, Toby was old, and although he missed life as a mercenary, he was also very adamant in refusing Tacales' request to recruit him into the group. He now runs his restaurant wholeheartedly, worried about finding a good man for his daughter, who is in the prime of his youth.

Toby is very fond of Tacales and Monthama, and he admires the drive of the two young people, saying that they are like when he was younger, and he has a passion for his dreams. But his praise is praise, and he is not optimistic about these two.

Yorktown is a peaceful and peaceful town, with no invading monsters or enemies, and the biggest thing in this town is whose dog is lost, whose family has a disagreement with whom, or whose girl is lovesick for Tacales. In such an environment, the men in the town have lost their passion, they are all content with the status quo and enjoy a good peace, who would want to be a mercenary in such a dangerous profession?

"We've been recruiting people in the square several times, and it's been two months, and we're the only two of us in the mercenary group. ”

Toka smiled: "Hey, boys, you're not a mercenary group yet, and you have to get together eight more people to be eligible to apply!" ”

"Uncle Toka, don't spoil the fun," said Monthama. ”

"Yes," said Takares, "Amon and I will one day establish our own mercenary group. ”

Toka said, "I don't think you can make a mercenary group in Yorktown, go west, through Browntown and Wheeler, and you'll reach Marion City, where there's a small mercenary guild, and maybe you should try your luck there." ”

"But if we do," said Monthama, "we would have to leave Yorktown." ”

Toby patted Monhama's thick shoulders with his big fan-like hands and said, "Boys, do you want to be mercenaries who never set foot in Yorktown?" When I was young, I basically had to change places every few months, sometimes in a few days, and I had to run through at least a hundred towns in the past 20 years. You can't always take on only one task in one place, you should know that both large, medium and small mercenary groups have a quota of tasks that must be completed every year, otherwise they will be regarded as unable to meet the established requirements, and there will be a danger of disbandment. "Think about it," he said, earnestly. ”

Tacales and Monhama were silent, they didn't think about Marion, but they were both natives of Yorktown, and the farthest place they had been in the past twenty years was neighboring Browntown, and they had only gone to the market to buy necessities.

Yorktown has a familiar atmosphere, familiar scenery, familiar buildings, familiar people, once they step out of this place, they are two helpless travelers between heaven and earth, they will face unprecedented events and unforeseen crises, which makes them panic.

Although the two of Tacales had the ambition to form a mercenary group, they had only just turned twenty years old, had not experienced storms, and had the inherent sense of comfort in Yorktown, which made them hesitate and waver. Occasionally, in the dead of night, their resolve has not wavered.

Takales and Monhama stared at each other across the dinner table, unable to make up their minds for a moment, did they really want to leave their homeland to chase a distant dream?