At dawn, the horizon of the sky, the blue-black night had not yet subsided, Aldrich Triss awoke from his slumber, he wanted to sit up, but his stiff body did not obey him, as if a thousand pounds of rock were pressed against the knight's chest.

His eyelids were heavy, and Aldrich opened a crack in it, and faintly saw a pumpkin-headed scarecrow standing at the end of the bed, but wearing a black tall hat, a white shirt, and a dark blue floor-length cape, and a white-gloved right hand with a brim on his forehead, and then floated into the fireplace, turning into a green pillar of phosphorus flame and disappearing.

"Whew!" Tris felt his body instantly shed its heavy shackles, and due to the excessive force, the original flat position turned directly over the bedpost.

Fortunately, he reacted in time, kneeling with his right foot, pressing his left knee on his chest, and holding his hands into fists against the ground before he unloaded the frenzied force. A thin layer of sweat spread all over his body, and wisps of white smoke rose from the cold room where the fireplace went out.

"I had a nightmare!" the knight slowly stood up, stepping barefoot on the planked floor, and suddenly felt something strange at his waist, and looked down.

A plain red sock with no decorations!

In an instant, this key 'game item' triggered Aldrich's inspiration, and everything that happened in the long dream, although it was shattered and unshaped, sank to the bottom of the lake of thought, and was incorporated into the clam shell as a pearl, but with this clue, the memories were successively connected into a complete necklace.

It turned out to be not an ordinary dream, and it also brought out the treasures inside from the magical lake secret realm. Wait a minute, I remember that it could hold a lot of things, like a space bag. ’

Triss took a robe from the bedpost and put it on, stripped off his sweat-soaked single garment, and wrapped around his body before he regained his warmth. He sat in a chair in front of the windowsill, carefully examining the red socks in his hand, and Aldrich decided to start with small things, such as silver dellers with smooth surfaces, so as not to be shocked.

As the remainder of the bounty given to him by Captain Rufer West was in the huge purse, Tris pulled the tether, grabbed a handful from it, and threw it into the stocking that was stretched open by two fingers, one by one.

"Ding...... The crisp sound of silver coins slamming kept coming, but the shriveled socks still didn't swell, and what was even more amazing was that they were fluttering, as if they didn't have any weight at all.

He tried to grab a handful of silver coins and threw them into the Red Sock, much to the young knight's delight, but he soon became troubled about how to remove the silver from the space bag.

Turn it upside down, the sock opening is poured down, and there is no reaction at all.

Then I only put my hand in, and I remember that in the secret realm, staying in the field keeper's hut, before the disaster of the field, I reached out and took out a bundle of rope to make a ring and tie it to the fox. ’

Aldrich's hand slowly reached into the sock, and after a while, he took out all the silver coins that had been thrown in, and the red stockings did not change at all, as if they had no sense of existence.

Perhaps, the sock is just an appearance, it is a key through which to open an unknown place, or maybe it is a secret place in the lake. ’

Learning how to use the space bag, Tris let out a relaxed breath, and then the light of inspiration continued to flash, and the mood became extra eager.

Although he was a classical knight who adhered to the tradition of virtue, he also had his own calculations in mind, such as possessing such a magical treasure and how to use it to better do the right thing.

In the run-up to the collapse of the Meyers Textile Mill, Captain West was right when he said that without a lot of money and a successful career, it was impossible to help the hired workers who were struggling due to unemployment, and could only watch them starve.

Money is a symbol of success in that world. Those who have no money are destined to be used and called, but those who have money can be enslaved, exploited, and can speak loudly, and the richer the person, the louder the voice, and then the acquisition of power, or the two are simply one, like the two sides of the coin. ’

The fire of greed is getting more and more intense, gradually affecting the source of Aldrich's faith, but fortunately, after experiencing the decline of the territory, the predicament of debt and almost bankruptcy, the spiritual realm eroded by money has been completely renewed from the inside out.

Unbound by vanity, and continuing to live in debt in order to maintain the dignity of the nobles, Tris even disposed of the storefront's valuables and status symbolic collections at low prices or even cheaply, paying off all debts at once.

Determined to break the wrist of a strong man, rather than allowing the rot of the wound to erode his whole body, the young knight struggled out of the net of greed, spread his still glorious wings, and continued to fly freely.

Distant horizon, the eastern sky is slightly white, the rising sun has not yet jumped, the sword of dawn pierces the night, and the darkness is busy receding, like a turbulent tide rising and falling cycle.

"Hah!" Aldrich stretched his waist towards the sun, slowly changed into the costume of the Night Watchman, a shirt with fine linen texture, a long-sleeved burqa on the outside, a cowhide belt buttoned up to the waist, put on boots that were specially removed from the spurs, carried the half-body armor, and carried the standard sword, just about to leave his room, saw the socks on the windowsill, thought about it carefully, and still carried it into his arms.

'It's been a hard time to get the space bag, but don't lose it, it's not worth it. ’

Going down to the open-air cafeteria, Aunt Rosie, who got up early, and Lynn, who had officially turned into a hired worker, were busy preparing breakfast, greeting them on their foreheads, and asking the cook if she hadn't helped, Aunt Rosie had now understood the situation, where did she dare to let this knight do rough work, and quickly shook her head and said don't want it.

So Aldrich earned the training ground, put down the half-body armor that had been repaired and finally restored, and held the sword in one hand for daily chopping training.

If you don't practice for one day, you know it, if you don't practice for three days, the captain knows, if you don't practice for seven days, everyone knows.

Alternating his left and right hands twice to complete 400 slashes, Tris circled around the training ground at a constant pace, and when he finished the third lap, Rufer West, who was also an early riser, came over to exercise with him, and the two talked quietly without the slightest disturbance.

"Maintain good physical strength!" Accompanied West to run five warm-up laps, Tris looked at the captain of the Night Patrol Knights, whose face was flushed and his forehead was slightly sweaty, and praised him quite approvingly.

"It's okay! With you by my side, I'm really under a lot of pressure. Of course, I also expect to be promoted to Knight Commander, and it is necessary to keep my body in its prime. Sooner or later, this position is yours, don't rush, take your time. ”

"Now I'm just standing firm, I don't have time to think about such long-term things, but you've been here for almost a year, do you have any hope of stepping onto a new level?"

"It's difficult, the places above are all crammed, and now there is no place to go out, so it is better to stay in the Night Watchman and continue to accumulate seniority and merits. ”

"That's right, that's what I'm thinking about your captain's seat right now. ”

The two looked at each other and laughed in tacit agreement, attracting the attention of some early night watchmen. Under Aldrich's leadership, the once lazy and procrastinating Night Watchmen washed away their decadence, especially the Brute Bull Kent who was close to him, and Tim Ball, a young man from a knightly family.

They greeted each other and began to run laps at the training ground, divided into several echelons in groups of three or five. Learning to breathe in a very rhythmic way makes the Nightwatchman's endurance longer than ever, especially now that he doesn't have to carry weights lightly.

"Yes, these days when they go out on duty, they have to patrol at night, and they neglect to exercise, and their bodies are not rusty, which is really commendable. "Captain Vester is very satisfied, with this group of high-spirited 'elites' under his command, it is much better than before, and there is a glow on his face when he brings it out.

"Most of the credit goes to you, my friend, Aldrich. ”

Tris smiled lightly: "I wouldn't have been able to do it without your support, after all, as the captain, you have the right to speak at the town hall." From this point of view, most people, including a few full-time knights with their eyes on the top of their heads, did not see clearly or even ignore the meaning behind this fact. ”

West's surprised look flashed: "You are really different from others, even as a traditional knight, your vision and strength are above ordinary people. Oh, by the way, I remember that you were a manor lord before you came to Eastwood, so you can't be seen simply as a knight. The nobles who have no territory can not be compared with you, they are like flowers in a conservatory, although they bloom endlessly, the four seasons will never wither, but because of their high status and wealth, power, they have lost the strength and courage to pick up the sword. ”

Aldrich saw it very clearly, he shook his head: "The times are different now, unless the kingdoms are warped, the knights may still have a place to play, but it is a pity that with the opening of new routes, a large number of depressed and frustrated people are fanatically rushing to the sea, to take risks, to fight, to find business opportunities to make a fortune." As for the idyllic life of sunrise and sunset, it has been burned by the flames of coal, and there is no battlefield of gunpowder, and those workshopmen and merchants are the real main force. ”

"I have reservations about your point of view, those wealth that has been accumulating quickly always needs to be guarded by a sword and a shield, just like the treasure guarded by the legendary dragon. Once the dragon is successfully slain, the astonishing wealth accumulated over hundreds of thousands of years is not immediately divided up by the victorious heroes. ”

"Is the Guard of Eastwood the dragon?, and what about our Night Watchman? Could it be its minions?" asked Tris, a little curious.

"Those sons of war, the great knights with unique titles are the minions of the dragon. As for us, at most it is a more conspicuous piece of the dragon's many scales, and it is also decorative. ”

"How can this be! Looks like I'm going to have to redouble my efforts and take the Night Watchman up a notch. ”

Aldrich, my friend, whether or not you can be promoted to Knight Captain depends on your performance. ”

"I can't do it alone, we need everyone to work together. Rest assured, though, I'm here to support you as always. ”

"Until then, I will not forget your credit. Of course, you'll have to be the vice-captain of the Night Patrol first, and without this crucial stepping stone, the town hall won't suddenly elevate you to the top of the ranks. ”

Tris nodded silently, and the two avoided the topic, then gossiped a little, and ended their daily morning training to go to the open-air cafeteria for breakfast.

Those full-time knights arrived late, and their sleepy eyes were especially a little dazed, as if they didn't sleep well last night.

Just after breakfast, the paperwork from the messenger of the city hall quietly arrived, Captain West took it and looked through it, his face was gloomy, and he clapped his hands: "Everyone, I'm really sorry, I'm going to go out again today." ”

The open-air canteen was suddenly full of mourning, and many people who had properties and businesses outside to take care of couldn't help but complain.

"This is the first time this month that we've been on the field, and it's not over, so we don't have to patrol the night, and join the city guards, anyway, we're doing their job. ”

The surrounding echoes came and went, and the opinions were different and poured out the bitterness, turning the open-air canteen into a noisy vegetable market.

"Quiet!" Rufer West brought out the majesty of the captain, but unfortunately not many people paid attention to him, until Aldrich Triss coughed and the piercing voice poured into everyone's ears, and the scene was slightly controlled.

"The snake mine of the Earl of Eastwood's family business has suddenly collapsed, and several hired workers have been trapped in the depths, and we are here to save people. Do you have any comments?"

"No!" "You look at me, I look at you, and the answer was sparse, until Captain West asked again loudly, and there was a neat answer.

After a while, the fifty horsemen rushed out of the camp of the Night Watchman, a small room high in the wall, and Bogta rubbed his freshly washed hair with a cloth towel, his wet blonde hair stuck to his neck a little uncomfortably, he heard the movement below, and secretly thought to himself.

'There's an accident in the Snake Mine, so let's go over and take a look.' No, you can't be seen by the old guy!'

'The mine has collapsed, and the price of iron on the market should rise again. Good opportunity, the city hall must try its best to cover up, taking advantage of this blank period, I went to the market to buy a batch of storage, and when the price rises, sell it, and change hands as money as soon as it goes in and out. ’

Inside information is often a business opportunity! Being one step ahead of others means making a fortune.