Chapter 1: The Crow's Tavern (Part I)

Norton Lorist carried a large satchel on his left and right, a large backpack with double shoulder straps that were shoulder-length to his knees, a large straw-yellow rattan box in his left hand, and a large and long animal skin roll on his shoulder in his right hand.

Three o'clock in the afternoon is the most leisurely time in the Red Crow Tavern. There were only three people in the huge tavern hall. The red-nosed singer Old Mike poured too much cat urine at noon and slept on the table. Sitting at a table next to the fireplace and playing cards to pass the time were old Hope and old Thomp, a retired postman who owned a shoe shop, and the two were staring at Lorist as he entered the tavern with wide eyes in surprise.

Nodding at Old Hope and Old Tom, Lorist unloaded all the weight from his body and threw it on the ground in front of the long tavern counter, and the large and small backpacks, bags, boxes, and animal skin rolls were piled up into a small mountain. He took off the bearskin hat on his head and threw it on the table beside him, took off the black coat on his body, pulled out two swords of different lengths stuck in his waist, put them on the table, let out a long breath, slapped the counter, and shouted: "Lao Jia, Lao Jia, where are the people? The barrels have been removed!"

"Oh my God, it's little Locke......" This is old Tom, who finally recognized Norton Lorist with his coat off.

Old Hope stood up impatiently: "Hey, little Locke, why has it been so long this time, it's been more than half a year, and we're all worried about what happened to you." Did you get the star-striped deerskin I wanted?"

Pointing to the animal skin scrolls on the ground, Lorist said, "Three, all wrapped in them, you can see for yourself." ”

A tall, thin old man limping out of the small door behind the counter saw Lorist standing in front of the counter, and a smile flashed on his gloomy face: "You're back?"

This old man is the owner of the Red Crow Tavern, Brunan Galirlando, the old man in Lorist's mouth. Don't look at his limping and immobility, but who would have thought that this old man who usually stays behind the counter of the tavern and smiles informally, with a blank face, would be a golden one-star swordsman, and even the neighbors who often go to the tavern for amusement will regard him as an ordinary tavern owner.

"Hey, Lao Jia, let's have a cup of black plum ale wine to moisten my throat, and ask the fat man in the back kitchen to get up and bring me a big meal first. I've been sleeping in the open for more than half a year, and I want to die of your deliciousness. Lorist was unceremonious.

"Got it. Garrylando scooped a large glass of ale and put it in front of Lorlist: "You drink some first, and I'll go and wake up Madoff." ”

"By the way, Lao Jia, you can help me count it later, this time I got all the things that everyone wanted, you can see if it is the same as the one registered. Lorist sipped his ale as he watched Old Hope rummage through the skin rolls.

Garrylando "en" and disappeared through the small door.

"Heh" a sleepy-eyed and yawning woman appeared in the small door: "Who, don't you know that everyone is going to take a nap now? It's not too late to eat at this time, it's really sick." ”

The chest is turbulent, and the top of the well-fitting maid dress is tight. This is Louise, the lady-in-waiting of the Crow Tavern.

"Uh......" Lorist choked on a big mouthful, his face flushing a little. Whoever is the first woman to have sex with them will be a little weak. Lorlist, in particular, was a little scared of Sister Louise. After all, he was drunk at the Crow Tavern on his twentieth birthday, and was robbed of his virginity by Sister Louise, saying that it was a rite of passage for himself. It's been a few years, and Lorist still has palpitations when she sees Sister Louise.

"Oh, it's our little Locke who is back! It's been half a year, I want to die big sister, come, hug one first." Seeing Lorlist, Louise's eyes lit up, and she suddenly disappeared from sleep, and pounced with her hands outstretched.

Across the counter, Lorist and Sister Louise hugged each other weakly, and let Sister Louise kiss her face fiercely.

"Just came back, poor little Locke, you've lost weight and blackened in just half a year, and everyone often talks about you, and they're worried that something will happen to you, and there's been no news for so long, I'm afraid you've got a good ......," Sister Louise began to nag.

"Well, didn't I come back, this time I went to the Ruins Islands, and there was no way to communicate across the sea, and besides, didn't everyone know that the ship that went there once every six months, what are you worried about? At least you have some confidence in my strength, right?"

"Just with your strength as a three-star Black Iron, how many Silver Swordsmen have died in the Ruins Islands, and I've heard a lot of these things in the tavern. "Sister Louise doesn't give Lorist face at all.

"Uh, but I've never lost a black iron three-star against a silver swordsman......" Lorist touched his nose, a little embarrassed.

"You're competing in the academy, not fighting to the death of Warcraft, others are letting you. I really don't understand why those old men in your academy took a fancy to you and asked you to be a bodyguard to go on an adventure with them. Not to that many silver swordsmen. "Sister Louise thinks that letting little Locke, who is strong in black iron, do the work of a silver swordsman is simply a great crime, and heaven will not tolerate it.

Lorist smiled bitterly, Sister Louise was just a simple kindness, how could she understand the bitterness that she had been stagnant in the black iron stage for more than three years. This time, the academy organized a team to go to the Relic Islands for an investigation and adventure, and he still pestered the old man of Dean Levens, and was forced to sign several unequal treaties that suffered a lot of losses, so that the dead old man of the dean promised to follow the adventure team to the Relic Islands as a life assistant.

Without the strength of the Silver Swordsman, going to the Ruins Islands is to send him to death, which is a well-known fact for all adventurers in the continent of Gelintya. Except, of course, protected academics and researchers. Although Lorist went as a life assistant to take care of several professors in the academy, he actually did no less than the Silver Swordsman, and he had experienced all the dangers that should be taken and those that should not be taken, and even those dangers that exceeded the strength of the Silver Swordsman had been trained several times.

The round trip was almost two months, and the four months spent on the Ruins Islands were very rewarding. Lorist himself felt that the life-and-death struggle with those demonic beasts, and the several life-threatening experiences, had indeed greatly increased his strength. The swordsmanship is getting sharper and sharper, the skills are becoming more agile, and even the mental intuition is more sharp. It's just that the wish that he originally expected to break through the black iron rank of fighting spirit with life and death experience still can't be achieved, and he is still stuck at the peak stage of the black iron three-star.

I regret that I didn't have the beginning, how could I have a big brain, and I actually tried to use the luck exercise method of practicing qigong in my previous life to run the fighting qi. One is the meridians, the other is the blood, one is the inside, the other is the outside, the wind and horses are not related, only if you have a cramp in your brain, you will do that. As a result, this high-level flame fighting qi inherited from the family was practiced by himself, and he has been stagnant in the black iron stage for more than three years, unable to be promoted to the Silver Swordsman. He also fell from the enviable swordsmanship genius of the academy to a joke of the academy.

"Hey, Brother Locke, I'm finally back, it's a pleasure to see you......" The big fat man who interrupted Lorlist's self-pity was Madoff, the chef of the Red Crow Tavern, who was trying to squeeze his big belly out of the door into the counter while tying a mottled blue linen apron around his body.

"Hi Madoff, I'm glad to meet you. Lorist raised the ale glass in his hand: "Is there anything else to eat, I just came back and starved to death, I didn't eat breakfast or lunch, so I nibbled on a rye stick on the boat......"

"Oh my God, little Locke, if you don't say it earlier, don't just drink, you'll have a bad stomach on an empty stomach. Madoff, think of what can be served right away?" said Miss Louise.

"This, there is roast goose in the smoker, it has not been seasoned yet, there are potato stewed ribs in the cauldron, but it is already cold and hot, these have to wait before they can be served, by the way, the lamb meatballs steamed over there can be served, it is hot, Louise, you go to my room, there are two pieces of cream white bread in the birch box next to the bed, bring them to Locke first, that is what I am going to eat as a snack in the afternoon." Madoff was a little reluctant to settle for two pieces of white bread with cream.

Sister Louise went in a hurry.

"Well, there is a roast goose, a pot of stewed pork ribs with potatoes, Madoff, you fry me a herring, a plate of green bean blood sausage, a steamed egg and rice shrimp, a fried mushroom and green cabbage, and a bottle of fruit wine. Lorist continued to order.

"So much? Have you eaten?" said Madoff, looking at Lorist suspiciously.

"I'm hungry enough to eat a cow now, let's go get some food, and let's have a drink together." ”

As soon as Madoff had sent Madoff away, Sister Louise came over with a large plate of steaming lamb meatballs and two pieces of white bread with cream: "Eat quickly, don't go hungry." ”

"Oh, little Locke, you're wonderful, this is the skin I want, look, what a beautiful star-streaked stripes......" Before he could swallow the bread in his mouth, there was the admiration of old Hope behind him, who was holding three deerskins the size of a tabletop and admiring the fireplace by the fireplace.

"By the way, I'll go home and get the money, and I'll be right back. Old Hope finally put down the deerskin in his hand and rushed out of the tavern with agility unbefitting his age.

"Uh, why is he in such a hurry......" Lorist said mutteringly as she shrugged at Louise at the table, munching on meatballs.

"Old Hope has been talking about you in the tavern for the past two months, and I thought he was kind, but it turned out that he was thinking about the leather you promised to bring him......" Thom Sr., a retired postman, raised his ale glass to Lorlist.

When Sister Louise brought the green bean blood sausage to Lorlist, old Hope also rushed back sweating, and came to Lorlist's table panting, and poured out fifteen gold coins from a delicate patterned leather bag, and the yards were 1510, and he couldn't wait to get the three star-striped deerskins.

"Hey, old Hope, wait, are you sure that's the price?" At some point, the tavernkeeper Garry Lando appeared in front of Old Hope and pressed his hand against the three star-striped deerskins on the table.

"Gary Lando, what's the matter with you, isn't little Locke okay?" said Old Hope to Gary Lando.

"Little Locke didn't say anything, it didn't mean that he had no opinion, the current market price is seven gold fords plus eight big silver coins and a star-striped deerskin, you fifteen gold fords want to take away these three good skins, it's too unreasonable. ”

Old Hope was red-faced: "But I set the ...... half a year ago"

"When you booked with Little Locke half a year ago, you didn't say the price, only the market price. Half a year has passed, and the market price at that time is still at that time, you really have the face to say. Now that there are fewer and fewer star-striped deerskins on the market, and the price is getting higher and higher, these three fine skins are sold for eight kingfords. You can make a dozen pairs of boots, which is enough for you to earn dozens of gold. If you don't make up the difference, don't do this deal, I'll take it outside for Locke Jr. to sell, I don't believe that no one will pay a high price. ”

"That's it, didn't there be two mercenaries who said two days ago, and now it costs five goldfords to buy star-striped deerskins in the Ruins Islands, which is not very good. Old Hope, are you obviously bullying people? Little Locke brought you three good skins all the way, are you embarrassed to let him work for nothing?" Sister Louise rolled her eyes at Old Hope with a look of contempt.

Old Hope returned to Lorlist's table in a huff, and took out seven gold coins from his money bag and put them on the table: "I didn't bring a big silver coin......"

One goldford is worth twenty large silver coins, and Old Hope has four more large silver coins.

Lorist waved his hand generously: "Forget it." ”

Staring at the back of old Hope who hurriedly left with his skin, Sister Louise was very unhappy: "Why are you so generous, cheap old bastard, four big silver coins are enough to eat a dozen good meals." ”

Lorist laughed, "What's the matter, old Hope offended you?"

Sister Louise had a seizure: "This old bastard, old miser, takes advantage of the maids in the tavern every day, but never tips... A glass of five-copper ale can be drunk for an afternoon, and you can occupy a seat without......"

Well, the tavern maid was originally for the drinkers to take advantage of, flirting and scolding and touching the chest and patting the buttocks with some oil is nothing, but the guests who don't tip still take advantage of the maid are hated by everyone, and they are the most unpopular, and they deserve to go out and hit the carriage......