The convoy spent two days in Kitsby, and Art asked Otto to escort Salter to buy some odds and ends at the free market in Kitsby.

Art himself and Ron tried to recruit a group of craftsmen in Kitsby City, preferably to recruit weapons craftsmen or blacksmiths who were scarce in a few valleys, but during the war years, blacksmiths and weapons craftsmen were the most valuable talents, and the lords of various places regarded them as treasures. Several of them walked around the city for two days in a row without meeting the craftsmen who were willing to follow them north, and the craftsmen in the city were all members of various guilds, and Art could not take them with them at all.

Helplessly, the Yat and the others only recruited three young men who were willing to go with them to the Northland for adventure.

Early in the morning of the third day, at a roadside tavern outside Kitsby, Art and Ron, Otto, Bazz, Kazak, and Tuba planned to have a relatively rich breakfast in the small shop, and by the way, arrange the next division of tasks.

Art tapped lightly on the table and said, "Odo, have you arranged the food for the soldiers?" ”

The few people sitting around the wooden table stopped chatting and laughing.

Otto replied, "My lord, the shopkeeper has boiled a large pot of delicious fresh broth and sent it to the camp."

"Okay, owner, you can serve us food!" After making sure that the soldiers had arranged the food, Art began the officers' breakfast.

The bartender served six people on a tray with six plates filled with bacon and pea cereal, and each of them was given a glass of Provençal wine.

Art took out a knife from his waist, cut off a small strip of bacon on the plate, pinched it and dipped it gently in the tapenade on the side of the wooden plate, put it in his mouth and chewed it, the aroma of sauce and meat swirled in his mouth, Art enjoyed it quite a lot.

Art carried a lot of goods this time, and the fully loaded carriage could not cross the mountains east of Sapp, so Art planned to let Otto bring his own goods back to the valley first, "Otto, you have to be more careful, the road from here to the wooden castle is not smooth, I would rather trouble some more to ensure absolute safety; Leave Simon with some supplies as they pass by the border checkpoint. ”

"Ron, this time you will take Jason and follow Otto back first, and you will have to listen to Otto's arrangements all the way."

The two nodded yes.

After breakfast, Yate personally paid the salaries of all the officers and men of the patrol team in the camp.

Before noon, the convoy returning from the south was divided into two teams, one of which was led by Otto with all the third squad, the fourth squad, the second battle group, and the two sentry riders of Ron and Jason, a total of nine men, with five wagons full of goods belonging to Art's own, all the way north from Kitsby, through the border post to the Count of Burgundy, and then returned to the valley of Woodfort; The other team, led by Arte himself, escorted twelve wagons and eight coachmen belonging to Lord Galvin from the west of Kitsby through the hills to Sap, handed over the convoy to Lord Galvin, and then returned from Sapp over the mountains to the valley Wooden Fort.

........................

Sapu Fort welcomed the return convoy from the south, and more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages were loaded with all kinds of southern goods.

It has been a long time since the trade route from Sapon to the south has been cut off, and the trade route west of Sap to the province is sparsely populated.

And these dozen or so wagons of goods purchased from the south were enough to sustain Sap's trade for half a year. Baron Galvin took all the goods brought back by Art, and offered half the price of the usual year.

Twelve cartloads of goods were sold for twenty-eight thousand pfennigs, and after deducting the purchase price, Art made sixteen thousand pfennighs on this trip. When a bulging bag of silver marks was handed to Art, Art realized for the first time that making money could be so easy. However, he also knows that there must be a condition for these easy to earn money, that is, you can put the money in your pocket alive, and along the way, you will pass through countless valleys and dense forests, and each place may have a sharp blade of steel waiting to lick blood and kill your life.

That night, Baron Galwin happily entertained the returning convoy in Tharp's castle, to which the soldiers of the patrol had been wounded in the last battle in the hills.

Baron Galvin did not have the high posture of the nobles at all, he frequently toasted with Yate, Yat drank a large glass of sweet wine, and said to the host of the banquet with a slightly drunken face: "Lord Galvin, I found that the war situation in the south is a little unstable on this trip south, the army of Lombardy has begun to take root in the central region, I am afraid that the war will not end in a short time, so it is best for you to take advantage of this season to seize the trade with Provence." In addition, although there are no large bandits in the southern hills for the time being, the mountainous hills that stretch for dozens of miles are excellent hiding places for bandits, and if the war situation in the south continues to deteriorate, those places will be occupied by a large number of bandits sooner or later, so you have to plan ahead. ”

Baron Galvin was also slightly red, and his long beard was stained with wine and soup, "Art, I know what you said, but now I can't do anything, originally Sapp still had dozens of caravan guards, but in the past two years, the caravan has been repeatedly looted by bandits, and my caravan guards have been seriously killed and wounded, and now many young people dare not join my caravan guard." Besides, I just received an urgent order, the palace began to recruit soldiers again, last time I paid a huge exemption shield tax to avoid a catastrophe, this time the palace strictly ordered that all places must serve, canceled the tax in lieu of service, I must send the army north to assemble and prepare to participate in the battle~~"

Art was shocked: "Swabia has offended?"

"That's not yet, but now the situation on the eastern border is dangerous, and the war between the two countries is a foregone conclusion~ The troubled times are coming......" Baron Galvin finished speaking, picked up the wine glass and drank the wine in the glass.

Art also picked up the wine glass, and said silently in his heart: "Troubled times are coming~ Troubled times are coming~~"

............

Art, who was pondering, didn't notice that a pair of misty eyes were staring at him in the corner of the banquet hall. The owner's name was Lottie Hugg, the only daughter of Baron Galvin. ), a beautiful girl who has not been able to marry at the age of nineteen.

Lottie is tall and has a good face, although she is not a stunning beauty, but she is not comparable to ordinary village girls. The reason why she couldn't marry until she was nineteen years old was not only because of her high requirements for her husband, but also because of Master Galvin's poor reputation and unstable status among the nobles.

Although Baron Galwin is a nobleman, because he has never been willing to fight for the lord and is obsessed with gold and silver goods, his reputation in the aristocratic circle has always been bad, and the Huger family behind Baron Galwin has been suppressed by the Marquis of Ivrea, the ruler of the Earl Kingdom, for many years. Therefore, no nobleman was willing to enter into a political alliance of kinship with this nobleman who was oppressed everywhere. And those who are willing to enter into an in-law relationship with Baron Galwin are nothing more than two kinds of people - greedy for Galvin's family wealth or equally suppressed.

Lottie had vowed to marry a brave warrior, and now, she felt that brave warrior in her heart had appeared......

The Baroness's personal maid came over from the banquet hall, patted Lottie lightly on the shoulder, and said, "Mademoiselle, Madame asked you to come and dine with her."

Lottie was overjoyed, and hurriedly lifted the hem of her skirt and walked to the main table, but the maid quickly followed, and lifted the floor-to-ceiling skirt for Lottie.

Seeing Lottie coming over, Baron Galvin stood up, pulled his daughter and introduced to Art: "Art, let me introduce you, this is my baby daughter, named Lottie." ”

"Lottie, this is Mr. Arte, the Imperial Frontier Inspector of the South."

Lottie gently lifted the hem of her skirt and curtsy to Art.

"Mr. Art, thank you for defeating the demons in the hills for my father, you are truly a warrior." Lottie's sweet voice rang out, and she couldn't help but glance at Art with a shy face.

Art had seen this beautiful and moving girl, in the era when it was common to marry at the age of fourteen or fifteen, a noble girl who was not married at the age of nineteen was rare.

Art held his right chest with his left hand, raised his right hand slightly, leaned forward and nodded, "It is the greatest honor of my life to be complimented by a goddess of natural beauty like Miss Lottie. ”

Lottie was sweetened by Art's words of praise and stood in front of Art looking at him in a daze, forgetting to return to her seat.

"Lottie, it's time for you to go and dine with your mother." Father Galvin reminded Lottie softly.

Lottie blushed and returned to her mother.

Throughout the banquet, a soft gaze always stared at Art's not-so-charming face, which made Art a little embarrassed.

…………

The next day, when the sun was high, Art had just woken up from his room in Baron Galvin's mansion.

At last night's banquet, Baron Galvin and his knights frequently clinked glasses with Art, and Art constantly brought his subordinate Baskazak to return the banquet to the host, and he was already very drunk......

A servant had already waited outside the door with a basin of water for Art to get up and wash.

Art pushed open the door and was startled by the servant standing at the door, he didn't understand why Baron Galvin would be so polite to him, even if he opened up the trade route for Baron Galvin to eliminate the hill bandits, but it was also paid a high salary, there was no need to be so courteous~~

Art took the tub from the servant's hand and said, "You can go back and thank your lord for your kindness." ”

The servant bowed deeply and said politely to Art: "Lord Art, my lord asked me to wait for the lord to wash, and then invite the lord to attend the lord's family banquet."

Art was completely confused, his friendship with Baron Galwin was not worthy of Galvin's family dinner.

"Does your lord have a VIP reception?" Art thought it might be just an invitation to herself.

The servant shook his head, "Except for the old lady and the young lady, you are the one who participates." ”

Art returned to his room with a full of doubts, and then asked the servant to go to the patrol camp to get a slightly cleaner robe for himself to change into.

Following the servant through the high porch and through the neat courtyard to the inner house of Lord Galvin, Art sighed at the wealth of the "merchant noble" Baron Galvin, and pondered his purpose of inviting a commoner to a private banquet.

"Lord Art, please come in."

The servant pushed open the wooden door of the hall of the inner house, and the Galvin family was already sitting around the long wooden table in the hall. On the wooden table were some honey bread, almond milk carrots, butter peas, raisin salad, onion cheese pie, and a glass of light beer and silver cutlery in front of each person.

Art entered the gate under the guidance of the servant with a puzzled face, and the Galvin family motioned for Art to get up, and Art quickly bowed slightly and returned the salute.

After taking her seat, the baroness said to Art with a kind face: "Mr. Art, you drank too much last night, and in order to sober you up, we have specially set up a separate family banquet for you, and the table is full of light food."

Art nodded politely to the Baroness: "Thank you, noble lady, for your mother-like care."

The Baroness smiled knowingly, turned to Baron Galvin beside her and said, "Honey, we can begin."

Baron Galvin bowed his head and whispered, "Thank you Lord for giving us food, Amen"

"Amen"

"Amen"

Art took a sip of light beer, and always felt strange in her heart, especially when Miss Lottie kept looking at her—

"Could it be? No way? ”

Art didn't expect that the baron would invite him to come and talk about marriage.

"Art, I've asked your soldiers, and I've heard that you haven't married yet, have you?" Baron Galvin, who had a more straightforward personality, did not wait for the three rounds of wine to present the purpose of the banquet.

Somewhat overwhelmed, Art replied, "Yes, I haven't married yet." ”

The Baroness frowned with joy and said, "I heard that you are twenty-two years old, and you should have a wise wife." ”

Lottie listened to her parents' words, Rao is usually outgoing, and she also lowered her head shyly.

Baron Galvin poured down a large glass of wine, hesitated for a long time, and sighed: "To be honest, I would never have thought that one day I would marry my daughter to a commoner, but I believe that you are not an ordinary commoner, maybe Lottie's choice is the right one......"

……………………