A wide river of sparkling rivers flowed through the somewhat desolate plains and mountains, and large ships of magnificence or laden goods were heading towards the city of Calkart, and whenever they passed a place where the waves were too fast to move in the opposite direction, a large number of coolies would gather, shout trumpets, and drag the ropes and pull them one by one.

In the cold wind that normal people would feel, these slender men are all naked, and there is a faint white vapor around their skin.

"If I hadn't left home to be a mercenary, maybe I would have become one of them, a slender man on the Negnin......" Katrina was quietly listening to the familiar sound of the trumpet, when a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly sounded in her ears.

This large river is the "main artery" of the Shahran Empire, and the mother river of many prosperous cities, the "Negnin River", which originates in the snow-capped mountains controlled by the Vladimir family in the northwestern provinces, flows through the northern provinces, and advances all the way to the southeast, and finally empties into the Storm Strait at the junction of the Shahran Empire and the Northland coastal corridor.

Katrina turned her head, looked at the young man next to her, and smiled: "Everyone has a chance to change their fate, just see if they can grasp it, obviously, Yakov, you are the strong man who has defeated yourself, if you don't come out with the determination to die, and always follow the waves, then you will be like all the slender men on the Negnin, it will be difficult to live past the age of thirty-five." ”

Yakov is a mercenary with short yellow hair, less than thirty, but with a full beard, full of vicissitudes, tall and rugged appearance, and is called "Brown Bear" by the mercenary team.

"Then you chose to become a mercenary with such determination?" Yakov asked with a wandering smile.

Due to the vast size of the Shahran Empire, it is sparsely populated. With so many magical creatures and robbers, it's dangerous to travel far away, especially in the north, so it's a very striking thing for a pretty girl to go solo on the road, unless she's knight-level strength, and likewise, joining a caravan without company can attract a lot of extra attention.

In order not to be suspected by the clergy and noble knights of the Northern Church, Katrina cautiously chose to pretend to be a mercenary and forged the certificate of the mercenary guild. Mixed in with a caravan escorting caravan to the city of Calkat City. Yakov was the leader of this mercenary team, a knight who had inspired the blood of the Frost Giants by himself.

Katrina was affected by the teacher's habits, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly, and she was about to answer. A clear female voice rushed in front of her and said, "I'll guess." Sister Katrina, are you trying to run away from marriage? You must have been born in a well-educated aristocratic family, and then you were taken by some powerful aristocratic scum and forced to be his wife. So you had to choose to become a mercenary and leave in order to escape?"

"Anna, you've heard too many stories from bards...... Katrina amusedly glared at the female archer in leather armor next to her.

Anna is a mercenary under twenty years old, with long blond hair, green eyes, and good looks, and a cheerful and lively personality, much like Heidi, so Katrina hits her at first sight and has a good friendship, while Katrina, who is outwardly beautiful, tall and well-talked, is full of curiosity - she has grown up with the story of the bard, and she intuitively thinks that Katrina must have hidden "twists and turns" behind her.

As everyone knows, her idea is also the guess of most members of the mercenary team, although Katrina's long sword is used well, her skills are also very agile, and she has the strength of a high-level knight squire, and a few female mercenaries also have a delicate appearance that is no less than hers, but she has a gentle temperament, and occasionally when she thinks about problems, she is even more indescribable "knowledge", which is basically not found in mercenaries.

Yakov had secretly worked with a formal magician known for his erudition, but he did not possess a similar temperament.

Anna laughed twice, looked at the city of Calkat that was getting closer and closer, and asked a little expectantly: "Sister Katrina, we will settle here with Boss Yakov, what about you, will you leave?"

Yakov had sparked his blood power in his previous adventures, and this return was for the sake of the knighthood. After the enthronement, he will be given a nearby manor and a territory on the Desolate Plains, and those who wish to remain of his mercenary team will become his knights' squires or stewards.

And for most mercenaries, having such an opportunity is something they will only get after a long struggle, so they naturally agreed without hesitation. With the support of a nobleman, it will not be as difficult as a foundationless mercenary to stimulate his own blood power in the future.

Hearing Anna's question, Yakov and several nearby mercenaries quietly pricked up their ears, as if waiting for Katrina's answer.

Katrina smiled and reached out to rub Anna's long golden hair: "I came to Calkat City to gain wealth, maybe in a few months I will get a satisfactory harvest, and then, I will return to my belongings, where my family and friends belong." To be able to meet you on this adventure is a memory to cherish. ”

The forests and desolate plains near the city of Calkat are covered by many resources and magical creatures, which is why there are caravans and mercenaries active here.

Many adventurers have come here to find undiscovered gem mines, magical plant colonies, and other things that can become rich overnight, and most of them have quietly left in disappointment or have been lying forever in the depths of the forest and under the plains, but there are also a few lucky people who have truly had adventures and have inspired generations of adventurers to come here.

Many of the nearby specialties also have a very big effect on the research, casting spells and alchemy of magicians, so the official magician would come here to adventure, and as a result, he was involved in the worship of demons, and died inexplicably in the city of Calkat, if he hadn't come with his companions, the rest of the people returned to Alinge, and the council would not have noticed the disappearance of a magician like him, let alone sent someone to investigate.

"Family...... Friend ......" Anna muttered a few words in a low voice, and said wistfully, "Sister Katrina." Before you leave the city of Calkat, you must come to see me often. ”

Yakov said in a deep voice: "Katrina, if you need help, don't be shy, just come to me, we are companions." ”

Katrina bowed slightly, seeing that the scene seemed to be becoming dull, she quickly changed the subject, and asked Anna and the others about the city of Calkat - she was not yet ten years old when she left here, and only had a vague impression.

Under discussion. The mercenaries protected the caravan as they approached the gates. At this moment a troop of cavalry rushed out of the city, the sound of horses' hooves hurried but unusually neat, apparently having been trained for a long time.

The cavalry was dressed in black full-body armor. The visor of the helmet was also lowered. It gives people a cold and cold feeling. It seems to come from a battlefield full of corpses.

Their left arms were painted with blood-red coats of arms, and inside was a blood-colored bear with a head held high in the left palm.

"Count Vladimir's Blood Bear Legion......" Yakov introduced Katrina in a low voice.

Katrina is no stranger to this. Although the territory of the Vladimir family is the northwestern province, they also have some influence on the neighboring northern provinces, such as the city of Calkat is the hereditary county of the Vladimir family, the lord is known as the "Count of Calkart", and the blood bear crest, which symbolizes strength and glory, is the exclusive coat of arms of their heir.

Anna said enviously and fascinated beside her: "Blood Bear Legion, it seems that they are going to greet Viscount Andre!"

"Viscount Andrei?" was a name that was too common for Katrina to know what he had done, although it sounded like the next Earl of Calcart.

"Well, Viscount Andre, he became an official knight at the age of twenty, was promoted to the rank of knight at the age of twenty-five, and reached the pinnacle of the knight two months ago, and was favored by the epic knight 'Ninell' and became his student! Anna said in a dreamy tone, as if discussing the hero of her own prince or bard story.

Ninel, "Death Storm" Ninel Katrina was a little surprised, this first-order epic knight is the current head of the Fortar family, the de facto ruler of the Northern Province, and it is because of his promotion that Fort St. Ivan is considering elevating the title of the Fortar Fertado from Marquis to Duke. But isn't the Fitado family at odds with the Vladimir family, and unhappy with their meddling in the northern provinces?

If Andrei Vladimir really needs an epic knight as a teacher, and the Vladimir family is not without it, although the "Ice Age" Tom Vladimir is old and no longer holds the title of grand duke more than a hundred years ago, he is undoubtedly still alive, and he is still expected to break through to the third rank of the legendary epic knight!

Is there any secret hidden in this? is this information important to the council?, Katrina thought to herself, puzzled.

Looking at her expression as if she was shocked, Anna showed even more envy and admiration: "Becoming a student of an epic knight is also a very rare adventure for a heavenly knight, not to mention a great knight, Viscount Andre must have something extraordinary!"

"Not to mention the epic knight, I am satisfied to have a heavenly knight as my teacher, without the gift and favor of the Lord, this kind of thing would never have happened. Yakov sighed a little bitterly and yearningly, and said that people are more angry than people.

The other mercenaries even laughed at themselves: "If there can be a big knight, no, a formal knight as a teacher, we are all willing to go to Heavenly Mountain in advance." ”

During this discussion, they escorted the caravan into the city and found an inn to stay in for the time being.

When Yakov went to report to the city hall, Katrina took Anna to a nearby tavern.

Having just stepped in, Katrina, who was pretty-looking, was immediately "welcomed" by the whistles of mercenaries and adventurers, who kept making vulgar jokes.

Anna glared at them fiercely and drew the dagger on her body, and Katrina did not shy hold the longsword in front of her, and looked around indifferently.

On this occasion, the weaker you are, the more you will be bullied.

Sure enough, their toughness made the drunkards restrain a lot and they were able to walk to the bar smoothly.

"Hey, little Anna, welcome back, who is this beautiful girl?" the tavern owner was a middle-aged man with a squinting face.

Anna laughed and said, "Uncle Gurf, do you want to enjoy the trampling of the brown bears?

"The biggest thing you must know is that Viscount Andre became a student of His Excellency 'Death Storm', and the younger one, there was a demon worship incident in the aristocratic district next door, and dozens of people died inexplicably at the scene. Gulf put away a squinting smile.

"Demonic worship?" Anna asked curiously.

Katrina quietly breathed a sigh of relief, with a local mercenary as a companion, it was indeed much easier to find out about things, and it would not arouse the suspicion of others, otherwise a "foreigner" would definitely be concerned about this matter rashly. (To be continued......)

PS: The second change, ask for a monthly pass~