Act 144: The Hope of Gentle Words (Part 2)

The bodies of the deceased are displayed in the square in the center of the village, in front of the statue of Niya, the goddess of the mountains, covered with a layer of leaves. The square was silent, and the elderly sacrifices were mourning the souls of the dead, and the men and women watched in silence.

Since centuries ago.

Suffering has become a part of life for the Senyas, because they are powerless to resist, this vulnerable people can only choose to hide further into the forest, but life in the Black Forest is not necessarily full of sweetness, cold, hunger and monster attacks bring the shadow of death.

Everyone looked at the eldest of them, their elders—for the Senyas, the oldest meant a lot of experience and a natural leader. In times of tribulation, they have always been able to lead their people out of trouble, but this time, even the wise elder lowered his eyebrows and seemed powerless.

The old man held his cane, and a heavy shadow seemed to be written between every wrinkle on his face. He sighed, and a middle-aged man with dark skin and a short beard next to him immediately gritted his teeth and turned to leave.

"Uncle Bolton, where are you going?"

The tall young man on the other side of the old man immediately drank him.

The middle-aged man stopped, and without looking back, he replied in a deep voice, "I'll go and snatch Funia back—"

"Calm down," the young man persuaded, "Uncle Bolton, what can you do alone, to die?" ”

"I promised Sally...... Therefore, even if I am sent to death, I will go," the middle-aged man replied stubbornly.

But he also understood that this was just an angry word, and he couldn't help but turn his back and clench his fists to tense every muscle in his body.

"Bolton, calm down," the old man with his cane finally spoke, and he sighed, "Sally is my daughter. Funia is also my granddaughter...... When the winter was over, we went back to the forest. ”

The middle-aged man turned his head and looked at everyone with red eyes: "What about Funia, there are other people's hatreds, won't we take revenge?" ”

Everyone bowed their heads silently.

The middle-aged man snorted coldly, turned around and left. The old man looked at his back and sighed again, he knew that the other party would not really run out to find trouble with those noble knights, and every man in this clan would not leave the entire clan lightly.

That's their responsibility.

Still, Bolton's departure left the crowd silent. But what can they do, the strongest in the village is this silver strength martial arts master, and it is impossible for him to be the opponent of that terrible baron.

But the silence did not last long, and the ceremony had to go on. It was just at this time that everyone saw a figure stumbling in from outside the village—

It was Joel, who was on guard outside the village.

Everyone recognized the familiar figure, and they couldn't help but subconsciously get nervous, could it be that those ferocious noble knights had come back to kill?

But haven't they already taken Funia away?

"Joel, what's wrong?" The old man was also slightly stunned, but immediately asked. As the leader of this group, although he still maintained a deliberate calmness on the surface, his hands were actually so nervous that he was gripping the wooden staff in his hand.

"Fleur...... Funia, she ......" Joel managed to run up to the men, and couldn't help but cry out breathlessly, as if he had seen a ghost.

"Funia?" The old man was stunned for a moment, and as soon as his face changed, he immediately asked, "What's wrong with Funia?" ”

"Funia, she's been rescued......"

"What?"

……

News of the little girl's rescue soon spread through the village, located in the middle of a remote forest.

But Brando felt a little embarrassed about his situation at the moment, he didn't expect his group to be treated so coldly. Although he had never expected the gratitude of others for something, at least they sent the little girl Funya back to the village, didn't they-

But everyone didn't expect that the gratitude they received was far less than the suspicion and fear they received. As they walked through the village on horseback, they could see similar stares everywhere.

The middle-aged man, Yoel, was the first to receive them, and led them to the largest room in the village, and told them that the elders would come soon. At last he looked at them with a fearful, complicated look, and then closed the door and left.

As soon as the door closed, the gray wolf mercenaries couldn't help it first.

"Bah, what kind of attitude—"

"It's like, I wouldn't have come if I had known." Another said.

But they all knew that this was just talk, because the young lord had made it clear that this was their destination. It's just that they don't know why they want to come to such a poor and remote place, and at this time, they can't help but look at Brando with puzzled eyes.

Brando just smiled wryly.

For Antitina also looked at him with a faint gaze.

"Less prejudice will make you more comfortable." The young man had to reply.

"But they did run away in that war, my lord." The younger sister in the wild elves behind couldn't help but ask in a crisp tone, the little girl had been following Brando, consciously or unconsciously, for some time now, because she had found that the young lord seemed to be capable of dealing with her endless problems.

Even my sister can't do it-

Therefore, she couldn't help but ask, although she had been taught many times by her sister in private. But just like now, she couldn't help but speak.

The sister of the "Tia" wild elf gritted her teeth, hating to strangle her most beloved sister to death, and always causing trouble for her. Then she looked up and gave Brando a cautious look, but fortunately the young man didn't care.

Antitina shook her head, "I don't care about that, lord, but ......"

"Yes, I know, fame." Brando nodded.

"Your Excellency, since you know ......"

But Brando shook his head again: "But you know, I don't care about that. ”

"Adult"

Brando shook his head.

But it was at this time that there was a sudden knock on the door. Everyone was stunned, and immediately a mercenary pressed his weapon with one hand, and cautiously walked over to open the door-

The door opened, but it was empty outside.

"Your Excellency?"

The mercenary who opened the door was slightly stunned.

"How?"

The mercenary looked strange and stepped aside, revealing a basket of berries outside the door. These fruits have only been plucked from the forest at first glance, and even carry the dew and leaves left over from the forest in the morning.

Everyone paused, and then fell silent with all eyes on each other.

Brando sighed slightly. Although there was still suspicion on the face, there was also gratitude, but the misunderstanding between the Eruin and the Senians was too deep, to the point of being deeply rooted.

"What to do? Your Excellency? The mercenary asked.

"Put it away." Brando replied.

Even so, he couldn't help but look beyond the door and stay on the square outside - the green village now is indeed very different from what he remembers. The village that remained in my memory, overgrown with weeds and broken walls, had just experienced a terrible attack, and there were traces of fighting and blood everywhere.

But at least it still has the breath of a human being.

He looked at the tall wooden statue of Nia in the center of the village, a god of the Senians who had been carved to life—the majestic goddess of the mountains and forests, dressed in a fur-robed robe, wearing a short bow, and holding a basket full of prey and fruit in both hands—symbolizing the hunting harvest and the harvest of crops in mountain culture.

Turning his gaze to the side, the Senians still lived in cone-shaped huts made of stone and wood, rather than the barbarians who lived in tents, as the rumors have described. It's just that their culture has long been lost in the vast forest, and the legend of the Senian 'night walker' is now only a legend.

But their relationship with the druids was as close as it had been centuries ago.

By the time he thought about this, the mercenary had closed the door again. But the whining voice had subsided, and even the Gentnell mountain people among the gray wolf mercenaries, who had always looked down on the Senians, couldn't help but be silent at this time and rethink the relationship between the two.

But it didn't last long, as there was another knock on the door.

But this time it wasn't fresh fruit that came through the door, but the person Brando had been waiting for for a long time-

An old man with a wooden staff, whom the young man recognized at a glance as the elder of the village, knew the customs of the Senians by heart. On the other side, the dark-skinned middle-aged man, and Funya snuggled up to him, must be the father of this little girl.

"Thank you very much for the visitors."

Before Brandor could react, the old man bowed deeply and saluted them.

The young man frowned slightly, and replied, "Please don't have to do it, it's just a matter of convenience," but he paused for a moment and said straight to the point, "What's more, I actually have one thing to ask you for a favor......

The old man and the middle-aged man beside him glanced at each other, and then nodded: "My lord's request, Joel has already told us." It's not much of a hassle for us. ”

Hearing this, Brando looked up at him. He knew that the other party was lying, in fact, it was a dangerous thing to enter the Black Forest at any time, even if a group of them entered, they had to be fully prepared, and as for ordinary people like these people to enter the forest, especially in the depths of the forest, it could almost be said that it was no different from sending them to death.

But the Senian elder was telling a lie.

"Who are you going to let go?" He raised his eyebrows slightly, and couldn't help but ask.

"I'll go." The middle-aged man glanced at his daughter, then at them, and replied categorically.

“Pizos？” (Elvish: Daddy?) ）

The little girl immediately raised her head and asked in surprise with her back on her face.

……