"The Nord kingdom levied heavy taxes on foreign merchant ships, which made some civilians who engaged in petty trade almost lose their money. Some people began to wonder if the Nord kingdom was responsible for the ravages of the pirates, for the sake of the large tax revenues in their ports. A number of high-ranking businessmen jointly accused King Nord of not strengthening the security of the coast, and this was in vain. The Khairks are the remnants of the Nord's invasion of Calradia, who rely on the sturdy bodies inherited from the peoples of the Northern Ice Continent to wreak havoc on the coast and snowfields. Faced with the pursuit of some bounty hunters, some pirates are not afraid to confront them. However, the Nord kingdom was reluctant to send an army to exterminate the pirates, because the pirates were people by the sea, and their familiarity with the terrain allowed them to hide at any time. ”

"Fortunately, after entering the Gangding Strait, there is a safe passage that can go directly to the royal capital of the Nord kingdom [Sagos], and the merchants can also make a lot of money in the rich market of [Sagos], and also save the loss of expensive goods and taxes. The old captain was silent for a while, the hand holding the wine bottle moved slightly, and he looked at the young man who was drinking, "Even if there is no conflict between interests, there is still some reason why someone needs to eliminate or suppress these rampant pirates." ”

The swallowing sound of "grunt" was not obvious in the sound of waves and flag rolls, and the old captain silently looked at the broad eyebrows of the Western Europeans, who were resolute and peaceful, and looked at the brown eyebrows of the young man, and said slowly: "For the sake of light and justice." ”

The young man tossed the empty bottle aside, his mouth was warming, and his brown eyes with a hint of turquoise squinted slightly, as if he were smiling.

The old captain tugged at his beard, which had been blown to his nose by the wind. The calloused hand handed the young man his bottle and asked, "Do you believe in Christ?"

The young man took the wine, and he looked at the old captain's aging face and his hands, which were trembling slightly from the cold. Finally smiled: "A little." ”

The flags on the mast swirled violently with the sea breeze, and the black sails seemed to blend into the night. The black waves lapped against the ship's side, and the ship slowed down, and the dark shadow of the coastline that was faintly visible under the moonlight became clearer and clearer.

The waves crashed against the rocky reef, and with a rumbling sound, the ship sailed into the harbor.

The rocks on the shore were a blur of shadows in the night, and the port access roads opened by the Nords in the rocks were also dark. On each side of the cliff hung a wind lantern, and the dim light of the fire shook in the sea breeze. Following a glimmer of light, the ship slowly sailed into the harbor in the cliffs, and the sailors on board were ready to drop anchor and lower their sails.

On deck. The old captain threw two empty bottles of wine into the cabin and said, "Come ashore from the harbor, and in front of you is the royal capital of the Nord kingdom. We've got all the stuff there, and we're going to buy some smoked fish and dump it elsewhere to make some extra money. It may not be convenient to take you with me. ”

The young man thanked the old captain. I took the money from the package and paid the boat fare, then stood on the mast, looking at the cliff rocks in front of me, as if I saw a distant continental plain.

The ship slowly approached the harbor, and the sailors disembarked with planks and dropped anchor and tethered. Since it was late at night, the whole harbor was dark and silent, with only a faint light, and the lighthouse at the top of the cliff also shone dimly from time to time.

"If you make a name for yourself in Calradia. You can come to me at Kulau, and I will be happy to be the narrator of your history. The old captain said. The young man looked at him and nodded. Then he stepped off the boat.

The rich smell of wine was blown away by the wind, the cotton robe on his body swayed gently, and the young man's brown and blue eyes looked at the black sea and rocks, looking at the plains in the distance, looking at the majestic towns that were faintly visible, and a smile appeared on his face: "Hello, Sagos. ”

Late at night, Saagoth was quiet, and only a few faint lights swayed in the wind in the entire bustling royal capital.

On a dark street, only one old wooden house was still lit, and the sound of clay cups, drowsy and wine burps could be heard inside, as if it were the only lively place in the night.

It's a tavern, a tavern without a name. François was the young owner of the tavern, whose father died in the war between the Nord kingdom and the Virginians. Because he was a descendant of warriors, the kingdom specially exempted him from military service. So he inherited a dilapidated tavern in Saagos and made a big business.

"Wine!wine!" a few scattered customers in the middle of the night were drunk and pounding on the bowl angrily. François quietly added a few bottles of malt to the table, then returned to his chair and continued to lean back.

After a while, the drinkers couldn't help but get drunk, and the sound of wine glasses shaking and falling and their snoring was left in the whole tavern.

François allowed the drunks to fall on the table, even if they slept until dawn. He was used to staying up late, or rather, to the silence of the town and the lonely lights of the night.

There are events of sorrow and joy that take place here every day, and at night there are people who dream happily and people who go to the tavern to get drunk. François was used to such a rhythm.

"There won't be any guests at this late hour. François said to himself, and then took a bottle of ale from the wine cabinet.

Every tavern owner rarely drinks because they know what they are selling that makes every man's bones crispy. François was a young man who loved to drink, but only tasted it late at night after the last guest was drunk.

François drank his wine, looked at the flickering wind lamp outside the door, and began to think about things. He was a very bloody young man, and he knew he didn't like this kind of work. Rather than opening a tavern, he prefers to go to the battlefield and wield his weapons like his father, rather than spend his days in a dark old house with the smell of alcohol.

So whenever he drinks alone at night, he always fantasizes about something at a loss.

The cold wind from the other side of the sea passed through the Sagoth, swirling the lights and door panels, and bringing a biting cold into the tavern. A drunk man at the table was so cold that he rolled over on his side and began to vomit.

François reluctantly lifted the half-drunk bottle and poured the rest on the drunk. The drunken man felt the familiar smell and slowly lay down on the bench and fell silent.

"Wine always tastes better than the stinky stuff you spit out. François said, frowning in disappointment.

He spit out as if it were wine. As he spoke, a figure walked in through the night outside the door. A man who was also very young, with bright brown and blue eyes, broad and peaceful features, wearing a cotton robe and swaying in the night breeze, asked, "Is there any wine?"

François looked at the young man who came in suddenly, looked at his obvious stranger face, was surprised and then smiled and asked, "Will you vomit if you drink too much, just like him?" He pointed at the drunkard with his chin.

The young man patted the dust off his cotton robe, looked at François with bright brown-blue eyes, and said, "I am used to spitting in the bucket." ”

"Five dinars. François whistled and took a new bottle of wine from the wine cabinet.

"I only have francs. The young man looked at his kind expression and smiled faintly.

Elton is a businessman from Saggos who travels around the continent for many years, but never forgets his hometown.

He bought goods from the abundant seashores and resold them to the continental plains, and then procured large quantities of goods from the rich cities to transport them back to the markets of the Nord kingdom. Years of business have allowed Elton to amass a lot of wealth, and his reputation has gradually spread in the trade lanes of Calradia.

This time, Elton planned to buy some malt on the fertile land on the coast, transfer it to the central plains of the continent, and make a fortune. But a sudden cold snap frustrated his plans, and to make matters worse, he was in a lot of trouble.

Waking up slowly in the tavern room, Elton rubbed his aching head, where he had slept soundly all night from last night's wine.

The morning in Sagos was quiet, a faint light shining through the window, and the city had not yet awakened.

After Elton had sobered himself, he walked downstairs, looking around vigilantly. There were only a few drunks on the first floor of the tavern lying unconscious on the table, and apart from the sound of snoring, everything else was calm.

After thinking for a moment, Elton walked out of the tavern full of wine.

The sky outside hadn't even fully broken yet, and it was white with a heavy pitch blackness. The streets are also quiet, except for the slight sound of the sea breeze stirring the door panels.

Elton didn't let that rest up, and he walked through the streets with a nervous mood, heading somewhere.

In fact, Elton had some trouble delivering their goods yesterday - the pirates had robbed them of their goods, and his cousin, who had been following Elton's merchants, had fallen into the hands of the pirates.

The danger goes far beyond that, and after Elton escapes back to Sagoth, he senses that someone is following him. So he went into a tavern with a lot of people, but he didn't drink very well, and after drinking half a bottle of ale, he collapsed drunken in his room.

Nothing happened the night, but Elton trusted his instincts, so he took advantage of the morning to hide from an acquaintance.

There was a very slight sound of footsteps behind him, and Elton immediately stopped, the cold wind made him shiver slightly, and at the same time he kept a close eye on the situation behind him.

In the quiet streets, the faint sunlight shone on the houses and grounds, and the wind blew the doors of the wooden houses and the dust on the ground.

Elton heard the wind and footsteps that grew clear, and he was sure that someone was following him.

Until he heard the sound of the iron sword being drawn from its sheath, he turned in horror and clenched the dagger hidden in his arms, ready to face the enemy.

There was a brief silence around, followed by the sound of iron clashes and fighting.

Elton realized that no enemy was rushing at him, and he came to his senses. As the leader of the caravan, he didn't have much skill, he only relied on his sleek ability to deal with it, but he had never faced it alone, so it was inevitable that he would be too frightened. (To be continued......)