The Black Glen Fortress is located on the eastern frontier of the Apulon Empire, close to the end of the Forsaken Canyon in the south and the endless desert in the east. Pen~Fun~Pavilion www.biquge.info is a giant fortress in the southeastern part of the Empire. The back of the fortress in the setting sun looks like a giant beast lurking in the middle of nowhere, putting invisible pressure on the intent delusional invaders.

"Commander, I can already see the Black Glenn Fortress, and it will take about half an hour to enter the city. Feng You said to Ping Lei, who was sitting in the carriage with Wei Yunxin in his arms and Ping'an.

"Well, speed up the last little distance, it's going to be dark again, and we can't afford a little accident now. Ping Lei looked haggard, dry tears and blood stains on his face, leaving a tragic mark along the corners of his mouth, and his eyes looked into the distance with a blank expression.

"Yes, Commander, let's do our best to make the horses run faster......"

After a while, the Storm Mercenary Group arrived at the Black Glenn Fortress before dark.

"Respected Deputy Head Feng You, I have been waiting for you for a few more days on the orders of the head of the family, you have finally arrived!" A waiter standing at the entrance of the fortress gate hurriedly greeted Feng You who was leading the team on horseback when he saw the flag of the Wind and Rain Mercenary Regiment.

"Are you sent by Master Bian An to meet us?"

"Exactly, my lord estimated that you should be there in the near future, and has instructed me to prepare to meet you in advance. Why didn't you see Captain Pinglei?"

"Well, the head of the regiment, he was injured, and now it is inconvenient to come out and lead the group for the time being!"

"Ahh

"Okay, I'm in trouble!"

The group continued to move forward, and Erdan looked around curiously.

"Deputy of the regiment, this city is not like a place to live, there are barracks, blacksmith shops and taverns everywhere, and there are many soldiers and mercenaries mixed in, and there are few residents and pedestrians?"

Before Feng You could answer, the waiter on the side hurriedly interjected: "This is not a safe place, most of the people who come here are mercenaries smuggled in the two empires, or there are more powerful mercenary groups who go to the endless desert to slaughter insects in exchange for Pope coins to make money." Also, this fortress has been invaded by the Insect Tide 9 times in history, and each time it was only after a few years that the Imperial Army counterattacked back to recover it, and after the Great War, the city was constantly reinforced, and until now there is a scale like the Black Glenn Fortress. Blackglen Fortress is the first bridgehead against the insects, so there are a large number of garrisons here, and there are many mercenaries who come to pan for gold!"

"Oh...!"

Erdan opened his mouth wide and absorbed this information in surprise.

"It's coming soon, so let's ask Captain Pinglei to prepare to take the goods with you to meet Master Mage!"

"Okay, I'll go and inform the head of the regiment. Feng You replied.

Then the mercenary group stopped at the gate of a quiet compound in the city, waiting to lead the way, Ping Lei held Ping Ping with one hand, and Feng You followed with the box.

"Captain Pinglei hasn't seen him for almost half a year, it's really hard!" A thin old man stood in the main hall of the courtyard, wearing a high-level senior magician medal issued by the Wizards Guild on his chest. Seeing Ping Lei's broken arm holding a child in one hand, he also understood in his heart that it seemed that the Wind and Rain Mercenary Group had suffered misfortune.

Ping Lei saw the old man and bowed slightly: "Meet Master Bian An! The Wind and Rain Mercenary Group has completed the task you posted, a total of 18 one-time beginner-level high-level magic scrolls, please receive!"

Feng You then put the box in front of Master Bian An, opened it and counted it.

Master Bian An bent down and picked up a scroll to check it, his expression gradually became solemn, and he changed another scroll to check it and said so angrily: "Why has the magic aura completely disappeared in these scrolls?

"Master Bian An, these goods are the goods we have in the hands of the connector you designated in the capital of the Irisian Empire! My wife has also personally inspected the goods and confirmed that they are 18 one-time primary high-level magic scrolls, yes!" Ping Lei was also shocked when he heard this, so he had to defend.

"The magic scroll only needs to specify the password to cast the stored magic in the scroll according to the caster's will, and the scroll will be instantly consumed and dissipated by magic due to the outpouring of mana. But I didn't sense the presence of magic in it just now, and I've tried to drive the scroll cast, but it didn't respond!

"That's not good, this is a valuable cargo, if I use it, I can't afford to pay for it!"

"You're saying I'm lying to you? Children who use the spell of the scroll know that if you can release it, count it as mine, and you don't have to pay for it!"

Seeing that Master Bian An was so serious, Ping Lei had no choice but to comply, handed the peace in his right hand to Feng You, picked up a scroll and silently recited the magic scroll driver language common on this continent in his heart: "Edmas." ”

After a few moments, the scroll didn't react, and Ping Lei froze in place, not knowing why.

"Commander Pinglei, you yourself said that your wife has personally inspected the goods! I also saw that your mercenary group still had a high-level intermediate magician to press the formation, so I handed over this task to you. Who do you think this should be counted on! And your wife? She was there when she took this task, why didn't she come now?" Master Bian An said coldly when he saw Ping Lei's stunned expression.

Ping Lei's face suddenly became much haggard, so he had to retell what happened last night, saying that when his wife ignited the life forbidden technique to protect everyone, Ping An writhed in Feng You's arms, and he couldn't control his emotions and cried!

After hearing this, Master Bian An fell into deep thought and pondered for a moment: "It seems that the mana in these scrolls was caused by your wife's last moment of forbidden spell to attract mana, and these scrolls were attracted by the gathered mana not far away, so that the fire barrier lasted so long and did not disappear until dawn." ”

"Is that so?" Pinglei's mind went blank.

"At the beginning, you pressed 200 Pope Coins as collateral in the Mercenary Guild to take on this mission, and I will give you the mortgage ticket to collect it if you complete the task. My beginner high-level magic scroll is worth 20 Pope Coins in the Aerys Empire, and the goods totaling 360 Pope Coins are gone, and if they are sold in the Apulon Empire, the value will be doubled, and the remuneration negotiated at the beginning is only 60 Pope Coins. Now you don't want to get a gratuity, I will apply for the 200 Pope coins pledged in the mercenary union to compensate for my loss, for the sake of the fact that you didn't mean to do this and suffered such a big loss, and my wife was damaged, I won't ask you for compensation, count me as a pawn!"

When he heard this, he had to pat Ping Lei, who was still in a daze, on the shoulder and signaled that it was time to go out.

Ping Lei was hit hard in two days, and the savings and his wife that he had accumulated for half his life in the formation of the mercenary group left him.

"Commander, what should we do now?" Feng You said hurriedly.

"Go home!" Ping Lei was silent for a moment, took the child, and stepped forward resolutely.

......

During the night, the Storm Mercenaries camped under a corner of the Black Glenn Fortress.

Ping Lei looked at the members of the group around the bonfire, including himself, and there were only 9 people left.

"Brothers, we've messed up this mission! I'm sorry everyone, I'm going to disband our mercenary group tonight, and I have the last 20 Pope Coins left here for everyone to share. Our lives were saved by your sister-in-law, I hope you can find a safe place to continue living after taking the money, and don't let your sister-in-law sacrifice in vain!" Ping Lei said calmly.

"Leader, I'm an orphan, since you and your sister-in-law took me in two years ago, this place is like my home, I'll go wherever you go!" Erdan was the first to break the silence.

"Commander, I've been with you for almost half my life, I don't know where you're going to let me go, and I'll follow you if I don't leave!" Feng You then followed.

"I know Feng You, this old guy, you kid have to think about it!"

"Commander, I thought about it when you first told me that you were going to disband the mercenary group!"

"Okay, the rest of the people will divide three Pope coins each, as long as they don't spend it indiscriminately, it's enough to live the rest of their lives! Let's divide it! Let's go outside the city tomorrow morning to bury the dead brothers and send them on their last journey, and then the mercenary group will be officially disbanded!"

......

In the early morning, the sky was hazy and bright, and not far from the Black Glen Fortress was on the sand dunes.

Everyone in the wind and rain mercenary group set up a wooden frame, carried the brothers who died in battle one by one, attached hay, and prepared for cremation!

"Commander, my sister-in-law is also going to be buried here?" Feng You said.

"No, Xin'er, I'll pack the coffin and take it home for burial. Get started when you're ready!"

Pinglei took the torch and walked slowly to the wooden platform, circled around and lit the hay.

Everyone in the audience stood neatly, solemnly raised their hands to shoulder height, stretched out their arms and struck each other with their palms, and struck out a neat and rhythmic "pop" and "pop" sound, echoing in this sad place...

At noon, the members of the Wind and Rain Mercenary Regiment had all been dismissed and left. Now only Pinglei is left holding Ping'an, as well as Feng You and Erdan.

"Feng You, you take Erdan and take our last two Pope coins to the city to buy some animal milk and replenish some dry food, it will take about two months to go home, I will wait for you to come back outside the city in peace!"

"It's the head of the regiment, we will definitely be back soon!" said Erdan.

"I've already disbanded the mercenary group, stop calling me the head of the group, just call me Brother Lei, we will be brothers who depend on each other in the future!" Ping Lei looked at Erdan so positively and smiled reluctantly.

"It's Brother Lei, promise to complete the task!"

"Let's go, don't waste time!Then we'll go to Brother Lei first!" Feng You shouted patting Erdan's head.

After a while, a few people converged and set off, and two horses pulled a carriage and set off towards the northeastern part of the Apulon Empire, where Pinglei had been away for many years - the village of Belka.