Bypassing Fort Derberg and entering the Nord hinterland is no easy feat, this magnificent rocky castle dates back to the Kalard Empire 200 years ago, when it stopped the Nord army from moving south during the Nord invasion until civil strife and betrayal led to the capture of the entire fortress... But to this day, the castle is the southern stronghold of the Nord Kingdom, and it protects the southern frontier of the kingdom as a rare rock-structure fortress for the Nords.

But while the massive citadel blocked several of the most important roads and closed the mountain passes, making it impossible for any large army to enter the north without capturing the castle, it was not a big problem if only one or two people on horseback snuck through the surrounding hills and forests like poachers. Especially now that the main army of the Nord Kingdom is fighting King Harauth in the south, the patrols in the castle are simply not enough to patrol all the land around the castle.

In this way, Byron slipped through the hills near Fort Jerberg and into the heart of the hostile nation. It was a desperate move, and he found the poacher's village yesterday and pretended to be a traveler to ask them for directions, only to almost run into a Nord patrol. After communicating with the people in the village, he learned that for some unknown reason, part of the Nord garrison of Jerberg and Tiha suddenly began to move south, and all the roads and easy trails from Fort Jerburg to Repolette were to be checkpointed, and it would be strange if he returned south at this time without encountering a large number of Nord patrols.

And Byron also found that the war was developing in an unexpected place, obviously they had just started a bloody battle with the Nord army the day before yesterday, but today the Nord troops in the north blocked the southern border, is this battle too fast? And the news was too fast, he didn't think that the Nord scouts would be able to deliver news about the war to Tiha in two days. Even if it did, it would be impossible for their people to come so quickly. And even if they did, their behavior would be very strange. If the front wins, they don't have to. If they lose, then the garrison of Jerburg is the right choice to deal with the Swadia army, just send some scouts out to find out the news, and there is no need to build those useless checkpoints and defenses, which is no different from giving people a head in front of the army.

Is it possible that King Harauth's campaign at Reboret was only a feint with greater casualties, and that some of Swadia's armies were already attacking the Nord interior from other directions? In this case, the Nord's behavior makes sense, and they must strengthen the blockade of the border to prevent a similar situation.

If that's true, it's a tactical victory for Swadia, even if it comes at a heavy cost. And for Byron, this is undoubtedly bad news. The road to the south is blocked, and if you go north, it is easy to be caught, and you are in a dilemma. After thinking about it again, he could only bite the bullet and go north to the interior of the Nord Kingdom, and then return to Svadia from the east by detouring through Vecchia. At present, the Kingdom of Vekia and Svadia are still in a state of truce, and the border between the two sides is open despite strict inspections.

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

Gerburg stands among the rolling hills of the north, and the main part of the town is built on flat land halfway up the mountainside, and there are many similar hilly slopes and mountain glades around the town, all of which have been built into farms and orchards by the Nord farmers who are adept at farming (and even better at looting), and poultry and cattle are driven between them, clearing the pests and leaving the manure in the fields as the best fertilizer. With its abundance of farming and pasture scattered throughout the mountains, this seemingly humble town has become a major source of produce for the affluent cities of Suggs and Tiha, feeding tens of thousands of citizens.

Farmers here would always drive donkey carts loaded with apples, cabbage, dried meats and feta cheese to the city to sell their produce and pay for the offerings. Merchants would always come here with their horse-drawn carts to buy cheap produce and send it to the city to earn the difference, or to process it for a higher profit, so the locals were generally very welcoming to outsiders. Moreover, the thriving agricultural trade has led to a constant number of robbers in the vicinity, and mercenaries also go here from time to time to earn some pocket money. Byron only needs to wrap himself up a little, and with the experience he has accumulated as a mercenary in the past, it is easy for them to think that he is a bad luck heavy mercenary, and thus fool the past.

So he removed as much as he could from the ornate ornaments that represented his nobility and did not conform to the habits of mercenaries, and led his horse into the town. Just as he thought, a few guards from the town came over to interrogate him for a while, some of the questions were specifically aimed at mercenaries, and even included some mercenary jargon, layman's words were easy to expose as fake mercenaries, but an old mercenary like Byron naturally had no problem coping with it. As for the Yiyi class, he also thought of a suitable excuse, and in the end, the guards didn't interrogate anything wrong.

"Be honest in town and you'll be in no trouble, mercenary." The guards let Byron into the town, and when they saw the thunder, they did not forget to praise it.

"What a good horse!"

"Of course, I had to cut off four heads to snatch it from a Svadia Broadman, and it's much more expensive to feed it than to feed people, but it's also thanks to it that I'm alive until now." Byron smiled triumphantly, but there was some cold sweat on his body. Thunder is a rare good horse, there are not many people who can afford this kind of horse, and those who explain it badly will still attract suspicion.

Fortunately, the other party didn't pay too much attention, and Byron also entered the town safely and came to the tavern. He took care of Thunder himself, and did not let the people of the tavern touch it, lest anyone find out that the horse had done a lot of exercise these days, and they would wonder what Byron had been doing before. Not to mention the gold-plated armor and expensive weapons in his horseback bag, which he would not be able to justify if he was discovered.

The Nord King is a strong national, but the atmosphere in the tavern is much more comfortable than in the south. There are not so many bad eyes, the floor is much cleaner, and there is usually a campfire and barbecue in the middle of the tavern, so that those who can afford to pay can sit by the fire and enjoy ale.

Byron walked through the crowd of people drinking and gambling, walked straight to the counter, pulled over the stool, and with hunger from an empty stomach and fatigue, knocked on the table, and handed over a silver coin of 1 dinar.

"Have a beer, the bigger the better. Something to eat, the more meat, the better. ”

The boss, who was busy wiping the table, glanced at him, saw the thick chain mail on his body and the war hammer at his waist, took the silver coin very simply, brought out a plate of cold roast meat from under the counter and handed it to him, and then poured him a full glass of beer.

"Looking for work?"

Although Byron's equipment was several times better than the so-called mercenaries in the tavern, the tavernkeeper could easily see Byron's mercenary aura that could not be erased after becoming a nobleman.

"Caring for his brother's funeral, his family lives in a nearby village, but unfortunately, his family is gone." Byron took the food, grabbed the roast and braided it. When the wine arrived, he didn't forget to raise his glass and make a sad appearance.

"To Haval, Mirm, and Jon!"

After Byron finished speaking, he drank half of the beer in the large glass in one gulp.

"This world is normal, human life is not valuable. Judging by the way you look, dealing with such a trivial matter as robbers is not enough to even feed horses and pack armor. What, looking for manpower? ”

The tavernkeeper's eyes narrowed, the bearded man was much smarter than he looked. Byron's equipment indicates that he is not just one of those poor mercenaries who can't support themselves. Listening to his tone, he is more like the leader of a small army, his men and horses are exhausted, and after collecting the corpses of his subordinates, he will come here to find a few helpers. After all, the work that really makes money often requires enough people to do it. As a tavern owner, in addition to selling wine and meat, it is also part of his job to sell information and introduce idlers who can fight.

"Quite right."

Byron nodded, leaning closer to the other.

"Is there a suitable candidate?"