Werewolves are not accustomed to vegetarian food, and it is said that there is also a training ground for breeding beasts, so meat is scarce, and there is no extra supply for humans from other places. The soil in the wild highlands is very strange, and it is not suitable for growing food such as wheat and soybeans, so there are no restaurants and other places for humans to go to in Oufu, and almost all aliens can only eat food specially prepared for them in hotels.

And this hotel is also prepared for alien humans in Oufu City. The boss here is a half-orc, and he speaks human language fluently. Orcs are stronger than humans, with pig-like faces, and two fangs sticking out from their mouths, making them look hideous and vicious, as well as a little silly and funny. But in fact, in terms of intelligence, they are the most prominent of all orcs, almost indistinguishable from humans.

The body of the cyclops had been returned, and lay quietly in the inn's dining room, covered with a cloth by the orc boss to prevent it from affecting the guests' appetites.

No one had ever claimed the body, it was the human who had been executed and the two werewolves had carried him back to the inn. This hotel was originally a subordinate of the city administration department, and when I checked it, I knew that it was with them.

The other guests had already finished eating and left, Xiao Yi stayed in the upstairs room because she had no appetite for the hanging, and the thieves were in the corner while discussing with the old thief Fodoleng while eating the food on the plate. It was a paste-like thing made from the fruits and tubers of several plants endemic to the wild highlands, and I thought I could swallow it after just one or two bites, but as soon as I ate too much, there was a thick greasy smell squeezing in my mouth and nose, and it seemed to rush straight into my head, and the rough powder was all over the mouth, and my throat was faintly painful, even if the orc boss occasionally showed mercy and boiled some offal from cattle and sheep, it could not improve the strong impact on the mouth. The thieves have been eating this for more than ten days, and many of them are getting angry. This is a far cry from their expectation of making a lot of money and then going to spend all the time. But no matter how angry you are, you will never dare to kick the table and smash the bench here, and the ogres and werewolves that can be seen at any time, as well as the stone monuments and gallows standing in the square over there, are excellent tranquilizers. But the anxiety accumulated every day made many people very dissatisfied with the initiator of this plan, the old thief Fo Duolen.

The old thief has been trying to run among the big-eared monsters and orcs these days, hoping to find a way to communicate with them and get their hands on the stolen goods. Now that he knew something about the city, it seemed that the city was run by humans. This is good news, in the experience of the thieves, the same kind is far easier to deal with than the orcs who do not eat oil and salt. Some people suggest that the families of these people be secretly abducted, and some people suggest direct threats and intimidation, but these are just brainless statements based on professional habits. Judging from Fodolen's expression, it seemed that he had only plans for himself.

Asa mingled with the thieves, silently taking a plate and eating the food inside, the only one here who could eat it with relish.

Just as the meeting was about to end, the middle-aged man who had returned the body came accompanied by a werewolf again, and informed them that all the people of the group would meet in the central square tomorrow afternoon, saying that they had something to announce.

As soon as the people left, the thieves discussed it, and immediately they all boiled. The central square is where the one-eyed dragon was hanged just now, and the cold corpse is still lying next to it, and many people are also saddened by the loss of this accomplice. The anger and resentment that had accumulated during this period of time were all stimulated into hostility by this ambiguous announcement, and many people drew their weapons and shouted to fight to the death.

"Damn, do you want us to send it ourselves and wait for them to hang themselves? A robber roared with a knife in his hand.

Fodolen hurriedly stopped everyone, but it didn't work, but added fuel to the fire. A few people were already yelling that he had colluded with these orcs to trick everyone into coming here, like some private mines to catch big-eared monsters as slaves, intending to use them as coolies, or preparing to feed them there like cattle and sheep and use them as food at any time.

"What do you say should be done?" someone rose up to ask Asa for advice. After all, he is the most qualified criminal here, and he has the best skills, and now he is calm and calm without saying a word, and he looks like he has everything under control.

Asa was still unmoved by the mushy food, and he did seem to be the most relaxed and confident. He said vaguely as he ate, "..... I don't know, I'll talk about it tomorrow. ”

"Tomorrow we might all be hanged if we go together, they already know that we are in league with the one-eyed dragon, and they know that we are fighting those goods. "The robber who wields the knife is the most excited. "It's better to rush out and fight now. ”

"The consequences of going tomorrow are at least uncertain, and the consequences of rushing out with a knife now are certain. What are you going to do and what you're going to do, just don't say you know me when you're caught. Asa finished eating, put down his plate, and walked out. He was completely unconcerned about such a tense situation.

In this tense atmosphere, the casual attitude and indifferent words are undoubtedly the most shocking and convincing. The thieves calmed down a little when they saw that someone was so calm and infected, and some of the smarter ones also thought about it and said, "If you really want to kill and arrest us, just bring a few werewolves directly, where is there any reason to notify us in advance?" Everyone began to praise this young man for his composure and composure, and he did not panic at all in the face of such a situation, worthy of someone who had seen a big scene.

The orc boss heard the commotion and walked in and asked, "What's going on?"

"We were discussing how to bury the body of this companion, and because we were so sad, we were all a little excited. Or only Fodoleng is the most adaptable, with a sad tone.

The orc boss let out a strange nasal voice and grunted, "There are rules here, the corpses must be disposed of by their own kind, so as not to withstand any racial strife." Buried or cremated, you can do it yourself. If you find it troublesome, the training ground outside the city will buy it, and there is a shortage of meat during this time, about thirty coppers. ”

"Oh, okay, thank you. The old thief nodded in agreement, and as soon as the orc boss left, he pointed to the corpse of the one-eyed dragon to the others and said, "Whoever of you sends him over will get the money for his own sale." But no one paid any attention to him.

Asa walked out of the hotel. He was not calm and calm about such a situation, but his mind was completely filled with more personal and wonderful things, and there was no room for other thoughts to insert into it.

It seems that I can still smell her breath, the wind blowing on my face seems to be the wonderful touch just now, and her voice is still looming in my ears. All his feelings were still stuck in that moment.

From the moment Xiao Yi joined him on his trip, a very subtle strange feeling began to gradually increase from nothing. Unconsciously, I have become accustomed to being with her every day, and unconsciously, her voice and smile have become a natural part of life, and I have to see and hear it every day to feel solid.

By the time he had just eaten, he had been completely and thoroughly intoxicated with the atmosphere. So he didn't care about everything else, and he couldn't pay attention to it.

He had never had any experience with the opposite sex. In his hometown, no woman of his age had any interest in this monster who was like an animal, only knew how to fight, brawl, exercise in the wild, and never seemed to take a bath and never put on a single piece of clothing. He also spent his days immersed in his dreams and exercises, living his teenage years in an almost ascetic manner, expending all his energy in endless exercises and fights.

The so-called love between men and women he had heard at most in the mouths of bards and tavern drunken miners, one too noble and abstract to understand, the other too practical and real to understand. He never even thought he would go through this. As for the current situation, he didn't know what was going on, but he was naturally immersed in such feelings.

Walking through the streets of Ofu is like being in the forest of a rock fortress. The buildings here are probably built on the size of the ogre, and the unadorned edges and corners of the rock itself and the height and breadth of the walls are impressive, if not grandiose. But in Asa's eyes now, it looks like the most flavorful building in the world.

It was already early afternoon, and there were orcs walking on foot, most of them carrying goods on their backs or pushing and carrying special construction equipment, and occasionally conversing with each other in their own language. The houses along the street were filled with the sound of hammering iron, cutting wood, and even spinning. The city invited human and dwarven craftsmen from various walks of life to teach orcs various manufacturing techniques. The city is full of the smell of life when it was born.

Asa also felt as if he had gained the vitality of his newborn, and even the grotesque orcs were now so pleasing to the eye. He had never felt such a wonderful taste, and the whole world had changed because of her.

Came to a market not far from the hotel. It was a large place, mainly for foreign merchants and dwarves to trade their goods, and during their time here, they found that more and more people and dwarves from other countries came to trade. It is filled with a large number of goods from various countries in the surrounding area. It is almost indistinguishable from the street market in human society, and the surrounding sounds of selling, bargaining, and the collision of moving goods are mixed together to form a very dynamic atmosphere. After watching it for a long time, the green-skinned or hairy figures in it are no longer so eye-catching, and they are automatically mixed into this peaceful atmosphere of life.

In one corner of the market, a handful of young orcs sell some strange Savage Highland produce. Asa buys a few fruits from a small ogre. It was still a baby ogre, but it was even a little bigger than Asa compared to his body. Although the lifespan of orcs is slightly shorter than that of humans, they develop as quickly as all other beasts, and it only takes a few years for their bodies and minds to be basically formed.

Half a year ago, he had seen such a plush giant with a weapon in his hands turning his companions into a pile of blurred flesh, the sound of bones bursting, the scene of flesh and viscera flying that had often appeared in his sleep and woke him up in his sleep, and he had thought for a while that he couldn't let them die so miserably in vain. And now he was buying things in the palm of such a hand in a very sweet mood, and his heart was completely free of the slightest nervousness, killing, hatred, and the like. Those things have long been squeezed out of the sky by the good emotions of the present.

I took the fruit back to my hotel room. Xiao Yi was sorting out her notes by the light on the bed by the window, which was just a few wooden planks, and after taking the fruit that Asa gave her, her face was slightly red and she nodded, and smiled: "Thank you." ”

Asa found that he had begun to love to see her smile at some point. Those hazy eyes and thin lips were originally very gentle on her round face, as if she was happy all the time, but it wasn't until she saw the corners of her eyes bent down and the corners of her mouth pursed upwards that she realized that the smile hidden in her was where her true beauty lies.

Especially now that her face is flushed, she looks even more beautiful and cute, and if she doesn't let anyone else, she will at least make Asa fascinated. Because Asa vaguely knew that it was a look for himself. He felt like he could die in this look and blush right away.

Xiao Yi ate the fruit and looked at his notes and said, "Hey, do you think there's anything strange about you being here for a few days?"

"What's weird?" Asa didn't think at all.

"Don't you think the order here doesn't match the impression the orcs used to make, considering that in the wasteland to the west of the empire, hundreds of humans were killed and eaten by the orcs every year. But now they build cities, learn to make things, trade with humans, and have their own laws and systems. As you can see today, the officials here are human. What is it that can bring together these wild and uninhibited orcs and govern them so well, and why do they do this? Don't you wonder about these things? Don't you want to know why?"

"Not curious. "Asa was never interested in these things.

Xiao Yi grimaced at him. "I knew you must be an idiot about these. Let me tell you. ”

"You should also know that the location of the Wild Highlands is right in the middle of the continent. Because the Sandface Mountains to the north, the lizard swamps and the deserts to the south are all natural barriers that are difficult to cross, the wild highlands have become an important trade route for the surrounding countries. In fact, after the Imperial army wiped out the orc tribe here, some people proposed to build a city on it. If a city is built as a market in such a location, it will be of great benefit to the commercial economy of the surrounding countries, and the city will certainly be able to grow by commerce. But in the end, this plan could not be implemented. There was already a lack of resources in the wilderness, and it was too difficult to build a city out of thin air in such a place far from any human civilization. What's more, the wasteland is surrounded by several countries, and no one wants anyone else to build a city in a place that would otherwise be a public area. Because it can be used as a springboard for a military offensive at any time. So even if the empire is the most powerful of these countries, it has never been able to offend the wrath of the people. ”

"Only the orcs who are already familiar with the living environment here can build a city in such a short time. But they were never united, nor did they have any technology, so someone had to lead them. The merchants and craftsmen we saw in the city these days were all from several other countries in the surrounding area. This place has not been established for a long time, why do so many merchants from other countries come here to trade? no matter how good the location here is, no matter how convenient the trade is, you must know that this place is full of dangerous orcs. The answer is simple, this place was originally built with their funds. It's hard to imagine that the surrounding countries that have always had contradictions would secretly cooperate in such a thing, so it is more likely that the power of the people, it must be the Chamber of Commerce. ”

The Chamber of Commerce is a non-governmental organization similar to the Adventurers' Guild, a group of merchants formed to earn more money for the common good. Because there are few things more powerful than 'money', although this association is only private, its ability is by no means small, and it can even influence the political situation. Because of the state system, there was no such thing in the empire, and a few large families monopolized most of the commercial trade.

"My guess must be right, definitely!" Her thin willowy eyebrows were squeezed into the middle, her hazy eyes below had a shimmering shimmer, her delicate nose was wrinkled, and her face was slightly red, which was exactly the expression of excitement of a voyager discovering a new continent.

"No wonder they want to keep the building of this city a secret from the Empire. For the military that had eliminated the orcs for a long time, it was natural that the orcs would not be allowed to re-establish a city, and for those nobles, such a large market with convenient transportation would affect their monopoly of commercial interests. But why were they really able to hide it from the Empire? Although the Empire has never paid much attention to the private chambers of commerce in other countries, it stands to reason that such a large-scale activity would leak out of the rumors. Didn't the military send troops to reconnoitre? Did someone cover them.....

Asa straightened up and took a deep breath. All the fragments and questions in her memory were connected by her detailed explanation. He finally knew what was going on.

But even if you know, it's nothing. It was only a sudden realization, and then I felt some admiration for the duke's methods, and some indignation at being fooled, and also aroused some injustice against the soldiers who died tragically on the mountain. But he didn't care what the duke had in mind and what he was going to do, as long as he knew that it had nothing to do with him.

"What's wrong with you, frightened by my reasoning?" Xiao Yi looked at him triumphantly.

"I find you to be a lot like a person now. Asa suddenly buried his head and looked at her face carefully.

Xiao Yi blushed, her eyebrows went up, her eyes opened and she asked, "Who?"

Asa said, "It's the magistrate of Bracada whose head is like a pumpkin and is called Lord Porugan." ”

Xiao Yi laughed, stretched out his hand and twisted Asa, and said with a half-smile and half-disgust: "It's really annoying, I'm serious." ”

"I'll be serious, you two are really alike. I really admire you two for being able to think things through. Asa said with a very serious appearance.

"Die, you look like a pumpkin. Xiao Yi stretched out his hand to hit him, but he reached out to block it. Holding palms together, his heart fluttered, but just now he thought of the duke, and for some reason he felt another shadow flicker over his heart.