They crossed the outpost again, where only two mercenary knights were guarding, and they were bored in sheltered from the wind to bake the fire, and the banner of the starry royal family was planted crookedly on the pedestal of the rubble. When they saw Jeff, they quickly gathered around and said enthusiastically, "Old gold coins, what did you bring to eat?"

"I don't have a lot of things, so I can only give you some of my goods. Jeff pulled out two onions, four sausages, and two large potatoes. "That's all I can give you, roast it over the fire and save some food, don't make a noise. ”

The two of them thanked each other for their kindness, and then let the group pass.

"Is the situation so miserable in the mountains?" asked Siegel, "isn't the prince also in the mountains, and he can't eat?"

"You think crookedly, the prince and the adults naturally don't eat these things. Jeff pursed his lips with a look of disdain: "They have a magical magic basket, and they can conjure up a lot of food and drink every day." But the food was for lords and knights with titles. The mercenaries and their retinue, that is, us, will not be able to share what is in the magic basket. Sir Bill would often bring out his share of food and mix it in our cauldrons. I've told him many times that he's a master and can't live like a mercenary anymore, or he'll hardly have freelancers come to him, and he'll hardly attract his followers - with the exception of Siegel, of course. ”

Then Jeff goes on and on about his vision: the big castle, the flag-waving, the fiery blacksmith shop, and the knights lining up to buy armor. "I'm looking for a wife with a big ass who can have a lot of children. He concluded, "You can't be like a firewood girl like Janet. ”

"Janet is fine, eat more and grow. Siegel said, "She used to have a miserable life. ”

"I bet Jazz won't like her. Jeff said, "A knight needs a woman of equal status to pass on his blood and offspring. ”

"I don't even know who my parents are, let alone bloodline, what kind of woman is different?" Siegel laughed: "I'm just a little cub, but I don't have that much pressure, that's the only benefit of being fatherless and motherless." ”

"I hope you can make sense, but I don't think it's that simple. ”

Janet listened intently, pursed her lips and said nothing. 'I just want Siegel,' she thought to herself, 'no one can take him away'. Janet followed closely behind Siegel, looking for a shortcut between rocks and puddles, through a forest of pine, oak and tin trees. She began to rejoice that the woods still existed, because they finally had a roof to shelter from the rain. After stepping over a cedar that had been burned by lightning, they finally reached the camp.

He never dared to imagine a magnificent castle deep in the mountains, so he sketched a picture of a camp surrounded by a fence of tents among the trees. Unexpectedly, things were much better than expected: there must have been more than castles here, and even the surrounding villages and towns were built according to the standards of fortresses, all of them were stone buildings, and many of the remaining stone carvings could still be seen with dwarven runes and markings. There are also many ruined round walls, a large number of columns of various heights, and broken stairs leading to the cliffs. However, a landslide destroyed the city, and most of the fortress and city were buried under the rocks, and only the cave gate leading to the interior of the mountain was still intact.

The camp was arranged right next to the cave gate, and the proposed house was built out of stone, wood, twigs and canvas, and the kitchen, dormitory and toilet were arranged. The camp is surrounded by an earthen embankment, along which drainage ditches have been dug so that rainwater and urine can overflow. A simple gate was made on one side of the embankment, and a horse barrier was placed, but no one stood guard. Most of the people here stand in the mud that covers their feet, wielding shovels to dig a second gutter. It rained for four days in a row, which is not common in the mountains in autumn, and the camp was mostly soaked in water, so everyone had to work hard to find a place to dry their feet.

There were now more than twenty men in the camp, most of them dressed in simple inlaid leather or chain mail, and with a variety of weapons, including axes, daggers, maces, and even maces. They don't have any family or title marks on them, they are mercenaries, or better known as freelancers. When they saw Jeff leading the horse in, they put down the shovel in their hand and greeted him warmly and helped him unload the goods on horseback.

"Leave it to me, and go to Sir Bill, who is usually in the room next to the cave. ”

"Janet, come with me. Siegel tossed the reins to the man closest to him, and led the kitten by the hand. Although the ground was muddy and difficult to walk, the two of them held their hands tightly and steadily.

The doors of the house were planks covered with sheepskin, and Siegel pushed them open and bent over the lintel. There were already more than a dozen people in the room, standing around a table in the middle of the room, arguing about something. One man shouted, "I can't wait any longer, I have to send someone in again." The other man said in a dark voice, "Who are you sending to death?" and the brazier on one side of the room burned with bright red flames, reflecting on the tired and muddy faces. Rainwater seeped in through the smoke holes in the roof and down the stone walls, washing the soot and mud of the boot prints on the ground. The room was filled with the smell of soggy tobacco, sour red wine and stinking sweat.

Sensing that someone was pushing the door in, everyone turned their heads and looked at the door in unison. These people have family crests on their armor, eagles holding swords, maidens on horseback, fish leaping out of the water, and so on. One of them had a tiger's head on his belt, and the man stayed by the brazier for a long time without speaking. But he was the first to stand up after Siegel came in, and strode over.

Siegel knew the face, and it was none other than Sir Tiger Beal.

"Little cub, long time no see. How did you find it?" Sir Bill grabbed Siegel by the shoulder, twisted him around, and dragged him out of the room, and Janet was dragged out like a little tail.

"I came to the North by accident and came across Jeff Gold, so I was brought here. Siegel sniffed and smelled the smell of alcohol emanating from Jazz. Compared to when they were separated, Jazz seemed to be a little older, and his sideburns were a little gray. His beard was unkempt, and he must have had no one to take care of him, and the black armor on his body was gone, now replaced by a slightly worn silver scale armor. But Jazz's body still looked strong, and the fingers holding Siegel on his shoulders were still full of strength.

"I haven't seen you in over half a year, little. Sir said to Siegel, "To tell you the truth, I don't really miss you at all. It's okay to follow Elf Leah, have you seen Irette and Dio?"

"It's all good, it's all good. Siegel said, "I'll have to give you a report on this time." ”

They came to the corner of the camp and took shelter from the rain under an old stone slab to talk. Siegel recounted what had happened since they parted from Fort Hub, something that Janet had heard for the first time. As they spoke, Jeff came over with a charcoal basin, took some onions and turnips, heated the frying pan with fat, and began to make dinner.

"Waterdeep is going to canonize some of the Pioneer Knights and reward them as Lords of the Frontier. I thought it was a good opportunity, so I came to the north. Siegel concludes and then introduces Janet and says, "This is Janet, my traveling companion, and I want her to be my woman." ”

"You little hairy boy, what's wrong with learning from me, you learned to find women first?" Sir Bill first smiled, and then put on a straight face: "Why did Waterdeep City canonize knights? They are just some opportunistic businessmen, usually they don't even dare to show their true faces, they are not lords at all, where does the power to canonize vassals? Only the knight contest they held is still a little interesting, and the knights who stand out from it will be recognized by everyone." You should go to that contest. ”

"But I didn't have a referral at the time, and I was a mage, so I couldn't participate in that knight competition. Siegel scratched his head.

"It's nothing to be a mage, anyway, it's your own money, of course you can use it as you like. Sir Bill looked Siegel up and down again, noticing that his body and muscles were still solid, and knew that he had not given up on his warrior training. "But mages are too time-consuming, and it depends on talent. Many people learn a lot of knowledge, but they can't cast spells. I still hope that you can continue to focus on the training of martial arts, you are the most suitable person I have ever met to learn martial arts...... One. ”

"Siegel has a great talent for magic, Lord ...... Mr. Jazz. Janet finally interjected, "He is also a kind gentleman, thank you for teaching him." ”

Sir Bill nodded, and then said to Janet, "Where are you from?

The kitten shook her head and said, "I was born in Ballands to farmers to parents who have died and am currently alone. ”

"I see, you're an ordinary civilian, too. Do you want to find a young knight and become the lord's wife?"

"I just want Siegel. Janet replied with a frown.

"You're still too young, and it's going to be many years before you get married, and there's going to be a lot of changes. Jazz's cold answer seemed to solidify the atmosphere. At this moment, a young man in a dark green robe was drenched, and he ran over, bowed, and said to the knight, "Mr. Baron, I will let you go at once on duty, there is a situation in the cave." ”

Sir Bill stood up and followed the man into the rain. He took two steps and then turned back and said, "Siegel, come with me, with your ears and eyes, and close your mouth." Let's eat first. ”