Walking through the crowd, the young knight leading the horse did not look impatient, and still walked forward calmly, silently observing everything around him. It wasn't until midday that we arrived at the destination of the trip, 156 Rosin Boulevard, the Red Wheat Bakery, a subsidiary property of Rupert, a grain merchant with whom the Knights of Tris had a long-term trade agreement.

The characteristic hot taste of the flour mixed with the sweetness of the cream reminded Aldrich of his old days, and the empty stomach twitched and poured out a large amount of sour water, reminding the young knight that the wheat had been boiled in cold water in the morning and that it was time to treat his poor stomach with a hearty lunch.

'You should eat bread that is not leavened, and you should not drink ......wine as red as blood,' recalling the knight's oath, Aldrich suppressed his hungry body with a new fountain, and his efforts were rewarded, soothing the discomfort of his stomach, but his ruddy complexion was slightly pale, which showed that it was not without a price.

The busy Red Wheat Bakery had no spare staff to entertain the Knights Aldrich Triss who had come from afar, and the kind shopkeeper directed him to the Morgan district west of Eastwood to find the head of the house, Lord Rupert.

That's right, your Excellency. Unable to endure the discriminatory treatment of taxation, Mr. Rupert, a grain merchant, spent a sum of money to find a broker to run the business, and at the same time donated an entire stock of the granary, and finally put his name on the knightly list of the town hall for the year old. The investment paid off quickly, and many small businessmen came to establish a grain chamber of commerce under his name, carrying out a variety of operations and growing their business, and even moved their main homes into the Morgan district, where wealthy merchants gathered.

Just ask the guys in the nearby shop about these things, and even without knocking on the side, the do-gooders can come up with dozens of similar versions, and the details may vary, but Aldrich can still extract useful truths from them.

'Your Excellency Rupert!!, what an interesting name. It seems that the door of this business partner of Triss is not easy to enter, and the little man who once looked up to people is now on an equal footing with me, and even crawls further to the head of his former master. The Lord of the Town Hall is also overrun, which is not a good thing. ’

For the sake of the armband, sword and shield coat of arms, the shopkeeper of the Red Wheat Bakery sold Aldrich two black bread bricks at a good price, these wheat flour mixed with bran baking things, which had always been known for their hardness, and the young knight pinched them hard, and was surprised to find that his superior fingers left only shallow marks on them.

'If it's packed in a net, it's definitely a heavyweight blunt weapon. To eat it, you have to use a saw or an axe, or you have to have a pair of dragon-like steel teeth. ’

Leaving the bustling and lively Rosin Boulevard, Aldrich led the black horse to the Sword and Spear Tavern on Ironhoof Street, where he also ran a hotel lodging, and the sign at the door was crossed spears and straight swords, and he tied the reins of the horse to the crossbar at the door, and beckoned the men to feed them with good hay.

The shallow-eyed young man choked Aldrich with a sentence of first payment, but as a knight, he couldn't be angry about these little things, he took out the money bag full of silver delle from his arms, and the tavern guy's cold face instantly turned cloudy and clear, and his attitude changed abruptly, as respectful as he should be.

"Fresh forage, add more black beans, and drink water from a clear spring or well. It is more important than my life, don't slack off. Aldrich took out a silver deller and shook it in front of him, "The rest is your hard-earned money, now, immediately, go and organize, I have to see it with my own eyes to rest assured." ”

The man's eyes were fixed on the glittering silver coins, and his feet could barely move, he nodded vigorously, and ran to the forage room attached to the tavern, which was filled with yellowed hay that had been used up over the years, stacks of hay that had been stacked high against the roof, and fresh grass that had been bought this morning.

The dew of the blades of grass had dried thoroughly, and the clever man picked up a bundle and put it on the cart, connected the shower with a bucket for watering the flowers, and sprinkled a little water on it in an instant, which made the grass more or less fresh and pleasant. The yellowing sludge of the manger was covered with cloudy sewage, which naturally could not be drunk by the mounts of the esteemed knights, and the man had to take water himself from the well, fill two large buckets, put them on a trolley, and carry a small bag of black beans on his back, and trotted to the door of the tavern.

Aldrich unsaddled Hayek's saddle and wiped his whole body with hay, and with a little effort, fine sweat oozed from his skin where his hands passed, and the black fur appeared smooth and shiny. The black horse snorted in satisfaction, its muscles trembled from time to time, its tail flicked to drive away the stinky mosquitoes and flies that got in the way, and turned its head to gently touch the knight who had grown with him with his face.

"Young man, if you are as dedicated as I am, and not as a lucrative job, they will like you, and at the same time I will be satisfied with your service and will not hesitate to tip more. ”

The man's expression was a little uneasy, but his heart was full of slander, 'For the sake of the silver deloe, which has not yet arrived.' He defended himself hesitantly: "My lord, I have paid eighty copper fennils for the position of groom in the tavern, and in addition to the well water, which can be fetched with a little effort, the forage and beans must be paid in advance at my expense, and if I cannot earn money, I will starve, and even carry a debt like maggots, so I must be very quick to take care of so many customers." ”

"You know, this is not a reason to cut corners and shoddy, but I can gauge your mood and situation, I just hope that you can try to give as hard as possible, and I believe that it will definitely pay off. Any industry repeat customer is a solid source of profit, not to mention important word of mouth, your position may be inconspicuous, but it is also the façade of the Sword and Spear Tavern, don't let short-sightedness and greed for small profits ruin the reputation of the tavern, if it closes down, then your sweat, hard-earned investment, isn't it all in vain?"

The man's nonchalant expression finally became serious, and he thought for a moment before nodding heavily: "Thank you, honorable knight! You are really a knight, unlike anyone I have ever seen before." Most of them have a condescending attitude, disdain for people like us, and at the slightest slackness, they lose their temper in anger, and there is not the slightest hint of knightly virtue to speak of. As for the wealthy merchants, they don't even have many opportunities to speak, and usually deal with their retinue, demanding excessively, and the pay is pitiful, and even unworthy of their status, and of course there are generous, but their mentality is more charity, and this kind of money is not uncommon for me, but in order to support the family, I have to accept it respectfully, and satisfy their occasional kindness. I've been at the door of the tavern for less than a year, and I've seen all kinds of people, and it's not easy to get along with, except for you. Are you really a knight?"

"It's a fake!" said a pun, Aldridge put Silver Delle in his man's hand and walked to the Sword and Spear Tavern under his watch.

Pushing the door in, you are greeted by the pungent smell of inferior ale wine, the aroma of the cooked food, the boasting of the drunken guests, and the scene of a war-like meal, which is simply a lively market.

The knight with the sword squeezed his way to the curved bar, stretched out his hand and greeted him a few times before he caught the attention of the hostess and asked for a signature lunch, with a large glass of bubbling ale, and the thirsty Aldrich couldn't help but lower his head and sip it, smacking his tongue, feeling the taste average. Two slices of brown bread poured with broth, soft as if they had just been baked, a large spoonful of burnt bacon mashed potatoes, the finely minced meat was imperceptible.

Quietly carrying the dinner plate to a remote corner, just before he sat down to eat, a big man with thick hair forcibly shared a table with him. In front of him was a large plate of roasted fatty steaks, which smelled like a gelding in their early years, chewier than tender lamb, and the best meat for its right amount of fat and leanness, and the price was also extremely expensive.

Aldrich greeted the other party's forehead according to the etiquette of a knight, and the big man was a little confused, grinned, and rudely grabbed the food directly with his hands. The grilled steak is charred on the outside and tender on the inside, crunchy in the mouth, and the hot gravy and hot oil slide from the corners of the mouth and drip onto the yellowed ramie tablecloth, leaving a little oil stain that gradually spreads and melts into a ball.

Slowly, he savored the soft, hot slices of brown bread and the oily broth topped with the fish cutlet, which was barely bearable despite the fishy smell, and the young knight sipped a sip of frothy ale, and from time to time scooped a spoonful of earthy mashed potatoes, which contained few pieces of salted meat, but satisfied him.

Suddenly the tip of his nose smelled the stench of rotting meat, Aldrich at first thought it was salted meat from mashed potatoes, but the unusual behavior of the left hand of the thick-haired man sitting opposite him solved his doubts.

Take off your boots, scrape the rotten ringworm between your toes with your left hand, the more red and swollen you scratch, the more hot and comfortable, and when you are comfortable, the big man even shakes his ankles, and the taste is even stronger, which makes the knight unappetizing.

Aldrich was reluctant to say anything as it was a personal gesture under the table, and remembering the knight's oath, 'Patience is a virtue!' to convince himself not to expose his shortcomings, the young knight immediately quickened the pace of his meal.

But Aldrich could barely endure it, and it didn't mean that the others could, and just behind the big man, the three unkempt guests at the next table seemed to have just crawled out of the pit and were furious as if they had just discovered the source of the strange smell.

An old man with a white beard pressed without any movement, his eyes were fixed on Aldrich, the young knight felt a little inexplicable, but the man with his back facing the big man slowly stood up, his body was so burly, like a door panel enough to shield him from the wind and rain outside.

The skylight on the roof of the Sword and Spear Tavern suddenly lost half of the sunlight, and Aldrich noticed that his surroundings were gradually darkening, and such a strange scene made him creepy, and his heart sank heavily as he pressed the sword in the palm of his right hand.

'Spellcaster!'