"Welcome to Martini, the city of hills!"

Owen exhaled with relief, bent over and bowed in an inviting gesture.

I untied the veil around my head, ignoring the heavy smell and scrambled to wipe the sweat from my forehead and nose.

"Is it finally here?"

Recalling the hardships of driving the donkeys carrying goods along the way and crossing the mountains, it always makes people sigh with emotion, it is not easy to do any profession in this world, especially the foot dealers who run merchants, not only have to endure the hardships of the long journey and the exploitation of the lords along the way, but also have to risk being robbed and even lost by many bandits at any time.

Knowing that the destination was not far away, the crowd let out irrepressible cheers, and the days of climbing ice and snow in the past few days were simply unbearable, and they couldn't bear it even if they were carefully selected.

The day before the departure of the large army, we were laden with groceries such as cured meats and wines, and the usual caravan of a dozen people was on the way.

"This tattered house is disgusting!" Owen said disgusted after dressing up as a businessman.

"That's right, it's disgusting!" His words resonated widely, with nobles, knights, and even ordinary soldiers all showing expressions of approval.

"From here to the lake is Baron Léman's fief, the mountains are criss-crossed, almost no crops can grow, the peasants are very poor, who would have thought that the baron is a martial artist who likes to make trouble, build armor, raise war horses, and pay some ransom after defeating, how can he afford to toss?"

"So the income of the territory depends almost entirely on the toll tax of the Martini Trail, which usually exceeds the other mountain passes several times. Now it has intensified, making the merchants miserable, but there is only one safe trade route left without war and bandits, so what can I do if I can't bear it? ”

Owen looked gloating: "They made a trip to make a lot of profits, and they can still miss this little bit of taxes?" ”

I tightened the rope on the donkey's back, and the fishy smell of the cured meat came out, and it smoked so much that people couldn't open their eyes: "What is the name of the Count of Lemons?" ”

"Otto (popular surname)! Strong body, powerful martial arts, beard, soaked fish eyes, in short, a typical knight, impeccable sword skills, we once had a relationship. He gestured twice and said excitedly.

I looked at the outline of the town, as if I heard the morning bell ringing in the church, under the shroud of the mist, most of the buildings only showed a vague spire, from the topography, Martini is absolutely a miracle, the whole town is carved by the mountain, the church dwellings are scattered, the outermost layer is the fortress and camp of the garrison, a clear mountain spring water rushing down, typical of a man when the key pass is not opened.

"Since you've met, is it possible for him to recognize you?" I was a little worried, afraid that a mistake in the details would cost me the plan.

"He? Remember me? ”

Owen waved his hand nonchalantly: "My lord, don't be kidding, in addition to the bright swords, guns and armor, what can enter this person's eyes is the golden gold and silver jewelry, and a poor knight like me who travels all over the world is worthless to him." ”

I threw my headscarf over and sternly instructed, "Wrap me tightly when you enter the city, and be careful, understand?" ”

Owen obviously smelled the unpleasant smell of the turban, and replied with an unnatural expression, "I see." ”

Slowly descending along the zigzag winding mountain road to the small clearing in front of the town, it seems that it is still early, the city gate has not yet been opened, the soldiers standing guard are sleeping soundly with their spears, the chickens and dogs bark one after another in the distance, and the ironing sun warms the sleeping earth, and a new day for Martini is coming.

"Let's rest outside the city first, the city gate is probably about to open."

I found a clean place to sit down and beckoned everyone to rest, and as soon as the words fell, the melodious sound of the camel bell whip on the top of the mountain came.

"Descendants?" Everyone who was busy looking back one after another, and the leader was the first to appear.

"Your Excellency......" Owen asked in a low voice, waking warily for the short knife strapped to his leg.

"Don't be impatient, since they are all businessmen, why tear your face." I tapped him on the shoulder and motioned not to act rashly.

In terms of size, it was also a makeshift caravan of footmen, with vendors in different costumes driving their donkeys, their faces tanned in weathered colors.

"Oops, it's finally here!"

He exclaimed in an exaggerated tone, his eyes fell on us, and he immediately came over with a hippie smile.

"May God bless you, friends who do business together, getting together is fate, dare to ask where you came from?"

I observed the speaker's dress, his oily hair, his ragged beard, his dirty jacket and shirt, his short figure, his legs, and his eyes that shrewdly and slyly with a sly and cunning mouse's eyes, and threw them into the crowd, and the children who had just been sucked knew that the profiteers were coming.

"May God bless you, my friend, that we have come from Genoa to prepare for Dijon." I greeted warmly, trying to make my tone as sleek as I could.

"A friend of Genoa? There must be genuine wine in that baggage! As he spoke, he tapped on the pocket of the donkey beside him.

"What are you doing!"

Owen was in a hurry, pushed the other party's arm away, and yelled angrily.

"Don't be angry, friend."

He hurriedly apologized, rubbing his hands awkwardly, but his pupils flashed. I watched his every move, this guy is indeed a veteran of trading, and he can estimate the goods and the approximate amount of goods we carry with a few casual pats, and the ghost may be thinking about how to buy low and sell high.

"It's okay, it's okay, it's this friend of mine who is too nervous, he is running a business for the first time, and he doesn't know the rules of the industry very well."

I giggled and put my arms around the other man's shoulders, who were two heads shorter than me, and stood to the side more like an unweaned calf.

"Do business, make money with harmony, right?"

"That's right, that's right, when you go out, you are all making a living, why be angry, only trust and friendship are the foundation of survival."

He shook his head and rambled: "This is the proverb of St. Nicholas, you see! ”

He pulled a stained wooden cross from his neck and swore an oath: "I am a devout believer, and this St. Nicholas's cross is a holy object consecrated by Archbishop Smyrna, and it blesses me again and again." ”

"None of us will question your piety, friend."

I hate talking to myself the most, so I hurriedly laughed with him to stop: "After talking for so long, I still don't know your name?" ”

"Oops, damn it!"

He shoved the cross back into his collar: "Are you going back to the Martini Trail for the first time?" I don't even know me? ”

The other party turned his head to look at his partner who came with him, and the latter burst into laughter: "Golden tongue Bruni, there is no one who doesn't know me in this line, and wants to pay less money and clear customs smoothly?" Come to the Golden Tongue, my brother is the Baron's most admired cronie! ”

It turned out to be a second-class dealer, or a pimp who traded money and power, and a dog leg who played for the tiger, and I knew it in my heart, and my face was still full of smiles.

"I really guessed it right, isn't there a war in the north, and a few big mountain passes in the east are not safe, so I led the guys to Martini, I heard that the barons here have a lot of taxes, and we are worried, tsk, it's really God's fate!"

When he saw a fish on the hook, Bruni was naturally overjoyed, and the corners of his mouth grinned to his ears, as if we had become golden bumps that could walk.

"It's easy to say, it's not an exaggeration to say that there is no one up and down Martini who doesn't know me, if it weren't for being low-key, the people in the city would have to call me lord when they see me!"

In order to boast of his ability, he became more and more arrogant, and the liar's face appeared: "Come with me, you're fine!" ”

As we spoke, the church bell rang and echoed in the valley, the gates creaked open from the inside, and the peasants who got up early to make a living came out with their tools and stared at us curiously as they passed by, whispering freshly.

Two soldiers:

It was not so much a soldier as two fat men who were too fat to bend over, and they stood lazily at the door, glanced at this side strangely, and then continued to fall asleep.

"It's open, come with me!"

Bruni rubbed his hands excitedly, turned around and ran over to pick up his donkey: "Follow me, don't fall behind!" ”

"Follow him, let's see first." I tugged at the reins and said to Owen, who had come to ask for advice.

Dozens of squailing donkeys and dozens of noisy hawkers broke the silence of the city gate in the early morning, the soldiers standing guard impatiently maintained the order of the crowd, beckoning more companions to come out to help, and the peasants who were not in a hurry to leave the city watched the excitement with great interest, and the trivial and noisy scenes of the market were vividly staged.

Our group lined up behind the caravan led by Bruny, pushing and cursing in the same way as the former, adding an increasingly noisy harmony to the scene of the city gate.

The golden tongue was too short, and he couldn't even find the door of his head when he was crowded among dozens of people, only to hear him shouting in a shrill voice: "Don't squeeze!" Don't squeeze! Let Master Bruni speak! ”

Owen looked at me and his eyes seemed to say, "Is this guy reliable?" ”

I shrugged, noncommittal.

"Hey, old man, it's me!"

Bruni stepped forward to greet him familiarly, and only then did he pat the shoulder of the soldier standing guard:

"Goldentongue Bruni, have you forgotten?"

"Tsk, God, is it really only on the end of the world that we can never see you again, the face of an old liar?"

The soldier who was patted on the shoulder pushed away your hand and said in disgust: "Do your thing, don't get close to me, bastard!" ”

Bruni smirked and turned back to us with a don't worry I can handle it, Owen pouted and tried to say something, but he held back the words.

"I brought them all, let's go through the customs clearance procedures immediately."

The golden tongue waved his hand vigorously, like a giant in open arms, and took the caravan behind him into his chest: "If you move smartly, maybe you can catch the door of the old Pique's inn." ”

The soldier glared at him unhappily, and Bruni was instantly silenced like an alarm clock with the battery removed: "I don't need you to teach me how to do things, old liar!" ”

Judging from the foul language between the lines, it was not the first time that Bruni had made a fool of himself at the gatekeeper, and the old liar had just boasted that he was a relative of a man with a lot of hands and eyes, and now it seemed that the cowhide was breaking very quickly.

"Hehe, the temper is not small."

The golden tongue couldn't hear the mechanical smile of joy and anger, and dodged to let the vendors in line pass first: "Pavia is here, do the honey trade, five silver coins." ”

"Only five silver coins? Don't try to lie to me, old bastard! The soldier signaled the passing vendor with his spear to step back, staring at Bruni suspiciously.

The latter folded his face, but he still had to pretend to be submissive and lean close to the other party's ear, and whispered something in a low voice, and the soldier was slightly satisfied with Nunu's mouth, and the peddler scratched the back of his head in confusion, and he didn't know what to do, Bruni kicked him hard on the ass, scolded and cursed in his mouth, and vented the anger he had just received on the unlucky man:

"Eaten by the devil or without a brain? Want to hand in another gold coin? Gelding stupid pig! The honey seller drove the donkey past with a rolling belt, which provoked another burst of ridicule from the onlookers, who seemed to have their daily pleasure on it.

The first one passed smoothly, and the rest of Bruni was naturally familiar with it, and later he simply followed the example of a soldier and lazily crooked, skillfully reporting the information of the customs clearance vendors:

"The people of the Great Chamber of Commerce of Pisa, we can't afford to offend the Lord Count of Meaux to deliver Saracen myrrh, one gold coin is obtained, the one who came from Larma to collect the leather goods, fifty silver coins, the Karearee who sells groceries, too little oil and water, ten silver coins......"

A few of them sang and harmonized, paid the money and left, quite a bit of a highway toll station car by pole, car damage conceited road.

The people in front of the queue all passed, and finally it was our turn, everyone looked at me nervously, for a group of samurai who made murder as their profession, they were always the only ones who interrogated and searched others, and this time it was really difficult to clamp their tails and pretend to be docile.

"Friend from Genoa, a gold coin." Bruni hid behind the soldiers and frowned, clearly saying what's the matter, it's okay to mess with me, right?

Owen was about to lead the donkey with an ugly smile on his face, when a soldier suddenly stopped him and asked, "From Genoa?" Where are you going? ”

My heart rose to my throat, for fear that Owen's temper would be ruined again, because his anger had obviously surged to the top of his head, and his left hand seemed to press his waist, and he might draw his sword at any time.

"Everyone is friends, why bother, anyway, the money is all collected......" Bruni saw that the atmosphere was not right, and hurriedly laughed and played the round.

"I'm asking him, shut up!"

The soldier who questioned him was not very old, and the beard on his mouth was shazzy, and he was probably only a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, but it was a pity that he had been mixed with the veteran oil all the year round, and the simplicity that he should have was gone, and he was replaced by a powerful and powerful soldier's face.

"Bastard! Dumb? ”

He raised his palm and quickly slapped Owen: "Smack!" There was a crisp sound, and everyone was dumbfounded.

Only I secretly breathed a sigh of relief, with Owen's military skills, as long as he wanted, a mere young soldier ruffian could not get close at all, since he chose not to resist to receive this slap, it means that he has made up his mind to continue to pretend to be honest, and we don't need to be afraid.

Sure enough, Owen covered his face in fear and replied stumblingly: "Master, I'm just a peddler, take some of the village's products out to trade, I heard that business in the north is good, so I followed everyone to try my luck, how can I have a good destination, for God's sake, you can let me go." ”

This book was first published from 17K, the first time to see the genuine content!