It was only a matter of time before Siegel's territory was eventually targeted by the bandits, after all, there was an endless stream of caravans coming from the top of Mora, which attracted the attention of those who wanted it. But Siegel didn't expect that it would be his two friends who would end up unlucky.

"Did they ask for anything?" Siegel asked.

"Five hundred gold coins or ten dwarven scales and shields. Fezak said.

"Tell me about the Free Knights. ”

This is a group of lawless bandits, but they are not peasants who cannot survive, and they take risks in order to fill their stomachs. A true peasant would not be able to organize a cavalry of fifteen men, plus ten infantry, let alone three elite archers. "They are actually the children of nobles who have no inheritance rights, and they don't want to become other people's knight retinues, so they slowly start from the bottom. In order to be able to maintain a life of spending time and drinking, they organized themselves and robbed in makeup. They are proficient in mounted archery and are also very tricky to handle. ”

"What's so tricky about this, for bandits and robbers, gallows are a good place to go. ”

"But once they are caught, they either claim to be poor victims of abduction, or they demand to be taken prisoner as descendants of nobles, to be ransom in exchange for their freedom. And they know the tactics of lords and knights, and they also have good martial arts, so they have not been banned for a long time. Originally, they were operating in the south, but this time they suddenly came to the north and caught us off guard. ”

"It's not your fault, our garrison hasn't been established yet. Siegel pondered for a moment, then said, "Since they asked for the ransom, how do they pay it?"

"It's about a three-day journey north on Ore Boulevard. There is an abandoned mine. The ransom is to be brought within seven days. Otherwise, the safety of the hostages is not guaranteed. ”

"I remember that place, where we rested when we came. The mage immediately explained, "Prepare this money and send it to them." I'm going to see Jennis and Ding Bao return safely first. ”

"But that would have emboldened them. Fezak said, "Do you want to borrow a troop from the dwarves and destroy this group of bandits when the hostages are safe?" ”

"Okay, I'll go to Elint myself. ”

Siegel found the dwarves, and the two discussed in the tent for a long time, and Elliette finally agreed to lend him twelve dwarven warriors. "If they run away on horseback, we won't be able to catch up. The dwarven warrior said very frankly.

"I'll get their mounts done. Two legs against two legs. It's not going to lose. Siegel said.

The mage then summoned Janet to his tent and arranged a number of arrangements. Then he saw Siegel wearing delicate inlaid leather armor, covered with a squid cape, a long sword pinned to his waist, and short boots on his feet, and set off majestically. The team was followed by ten members of the Orc Guard and the dwarven warriors of Elinth.

After they set off, the construction camp seemed much deserted, and the originally hot work scene was quiet. The people of the territory were very concerned about the news of this battle, after all, it was an encounter with bandits. Everyone wondered if the new lord would be able to protect them.

The leader of the Freiq Knights' operation was named Turner." Laugher", he relied on the gamble to defeat the previous regimental leader. The Free Knights often change captains. But they all came from the noble members of the ranks. It's a fun game for them, and they can earn a good fortune while pursuing excitement.

Siegel's Heimmound was originally a barren place, with neither production nor beauty, so it naturally did not attract the attention of the Free Knights. It's just that there have been too many wagons in the caravan recently, which makes the Free Knights curious. After inquiring about the news, they learned that there was a gold mine in Heim Hill, which produced a lot of gold every day, and it was a rich place.

Most of the caravans coming from the top of Mora were escorted, and most of the food and artisan tools were transported on them, and there was not much "oil and water". Bucktooth Genesis and Pi Ya Ding Bao crashed headlong into the encirclement and were very unlucky to become prisoners. Denis has a hard mouth and doesn't say anything to the robbers, while Ding Bao suggests that the robbers turn into kidnappers and demand ransom from Siegel.

"He will satisfy you. The dwarf said.

Halfway up the hillside of the abandoned mine, the bandits planted a large red flag with a crooked disc drawn in white plaster. In fact, they didn't know what it meant, just to get the people down the mountain to notice. The road up the mountain is overgrown and rocky, and with large rocks falling from the top of the hill lying on the side, God knows if there will be an ambush lurking behind. And next to the ore avenue below the hillside, there is a small dense forest, which is a suitable place to hide, even if there are dozens of bandits, they can hide quietly. After three days of trekking, Siegel finally led the team here. He put his hand on the pergola and looked up the hill, and saw a man jumping out of the flagpole of the ridiculous big flag, with unkempt yellow hair and tattered shirts and trousers. He shouted, "Who are you, what are you doing here?"

Siegel replied with a shout: "We are here for the Free Knights." Let's look at the captives, or don't expect to receive the ransom!"

"Send a man up. The yellow-haired bandit shouted, "Don't try to play tricks!"

Siegel told the others to wait behind and walked up the hill by himself. Baron the raven rested over his shoulder, looking around with a keen eye. "Shhhh ”

The raven "quacked" twice, rubbing its head against the side of the mage's face.

The road up the mountain is not easy to walk, and there are fine gravels everywhere, and it is constantly slippery when you step on it. The only consequence of wanting to run down this road is to roll down. He cautiously climbed higher and higher, slowing down his pace until he saw the entrance to the abandoned mine. A faint sound of music came from inside the mine, what seemed to be the sound of a shamisen. In the clearing in front of the mine, Bucktooth Genesis and the dwarf were hanging from the beams of the ruins of the tool room with their hands tied behind their backs, like two dried fish.

Seven bandits held rough spears and rusty swords in their hands. Nervously looking at Siegel. Raven quacked over his shoulder. It was the sound of its mockery.

The two captives survived a hard time. Seeing Siegel coming, he could only smile weakly. The gnome kicked his leg a few times, causing him to spin in a circle around the rope in the air. An old-fashioned bandit knocked him on the back with a wooden stick to calm him down.

Siegel didn't say anything, untied the money bag from his waist and threw it on the ground. The contents of the bag made a crisp sound, but it was different from what the bandits had expected.

"Five hundred gold coins is just such a bag, who are you lying to? You can put a hundred copper plates in there at most!" one of the bandits dangled his sword around the neck of Bucktooth. "Where's the dwarven armor?"

"It's a high-value gem. Siegel smiled and said, "It's easier to carry, and any jewelry store or pawnshop that has one can be exchanged for gold coins, and it's only high, not low." At least you can get rid of the gems now. Then hit the road lightly, so that you can run faster. Dwarves can track their armor, I don't think you want to be targeted, do you?"

The bandits looked at each other and said, "Okay, we believe in the qualities of a nobleman. He picked up the purse, opened it, and saw that it contained brilliant rubies and spars. "It's a fair deal, you pay, we let go. If you go after us leave, our accomplices hiding in other cities will know. Next time your friends on the trade road won't have a chance to pay the ransom!"

This is the usual modus operandi of bandits. to prevent the lord with the knight from attacking. In many cases, unless you can catch the robbers or destroy their nests. Otherwise, these bandits breed faster than the rabbits in the spring, and the attacks are worse and worse each time. Therefore, the conditional lords will be equipped with elite knights, who can react quickly and attack quickly, compressing the living space of these bandits. Therefore, the "Free Knights" chose to trade in a place that left Heim Hill for three days, and also occupied a high place with a distant view of the ore avenue, just to guard against possible cavalry.

The bandits packed their things, laughed a few times, and ran towards the abandoned mine. It seems that they have figured out the situation inside and left a way out for themselves. Siegel stood still, letting them scream and cheer, deaf to the bandits' ridicule. When there were no robbers in the clearing, he walked to the abandoned house, cut the rope with a dagger, and put down the two meat tickets.

"Siegel, they ......," the dwarf hurriedly said, "they are not really free-spirited knights, just scavengers from around the neighborhood who have been hired temporarily. The real Free Knights are on their way to Heim Hill and want to raid the mines!"

"Don't worry, he's expected that. The mage sawed off the ropes that bound the two of them to their wrists, and then took out a water bladder to quench their thirst. Under the bewildered gaze of Janis and Ding Bao, "Siegel"'s face gradually deformed, and finally took on the appearance of Janet.

"Madame Lord!" Jennis exclaimed in surprise, "Why are you here?"

"Siegel asked me to come, he anticipated the Freedom Knights' ruse. Janet said, "He said he wanted to teach these guys a lesson to remember, so he asked me to bring the dwarves with me." My mission is simple, to swagger away like him, and then to save you. ”

"Thank goodness Siegel hasn't forgotten about us. The dwarf smiled and said, "Although I am a little ashamed, I must admit that I am not worth the ransom of five hundred gold coins. ”

"Five hundred gold coins is the ransom for the two of us!" Denis screamed in anger, not knowing what had happened between him and Pi Ya on the way here. "No, you're worth up to 10 gold, and the rest is mine. ”

"Don't argue, the ransom for a single gold coin is not worth it. Janet laughed and said, "Siegel didn't intend to let these kidnappers go, that's why he let the dwarves come with me." ”

"What do you mean by that?" asked Janis.

"All the castles and mines on the walled mountains were designed by the dwarves, who knew very well what was going on. Siegel asks Ellint about a dwarven craftsman who happened to be in Heim Hill who had worked in the mine. The orcs and dwarven warriors I brought with me were all for the purpose of catching the little rats in the caves. You think that underground, one side has to be lit with torches, and the other side can see clearly in the dark, not to mention the huge gap in combat ability. Is there any suspense in this arrest?"

The dwarf imagined that scene for a moment, and the big hands that appeared in the darkness and the ugly face of the orc who suddenly appeared in the light of the torch couldn't help but shiver. "Poor kidnappers. The dwarf said with a sigh. (To be continued......)