Chester, a small town in the Kingdom of Krant, very close to Avenella, didn't have much to experience, and because of poverty, the mercenaries could accept very few commissions. So after only three or four days, the two decided to go south again.

As you follow the path you walked on the previous trip to the south, instead of turning west, the terrain begins to gradually become taller, and various low shrubs in addition to reeds begin to appear.

Up to this point, the area where the two men were located was still part of the Rideira region of the West Valiya population, but it was also the last section. The length of the Lideira wetland is much smaller than that of the Acasta Plains in the north-south direction, but it has a considerable depth due to the course of the Tambur Mountains.

Each of the five large and small kingdoms of the region has territories spread over the area, and from east to west, it takes longer to enter the territory of another kingdom. However, Henry and Mira did not plan to go west, as the wetlands were quite poor, sparsely populated, and inaccessible to all of the kingdoms. Whether it's the purpose of sharpening Mira or the various commissions required to be a mercenary himself, the Rideira region can't meet their needs.

A barren and humid purgatory, the people here are still as aggressive as the rest of the West Coast.

Counting the rest, the two finally left the wetland on the twentieth day after crossing the Broken Canyon. And just after stepping out of here, in the distance, they heard the sound of killing and the sound of metal clashing.

Blood splattered and wept bitterly.

Neither side of the battle was really elite soldiers, except for a few with iron swords, and the rest were all farm tools such as axes and hoes.

Young, old. Strong, emaciated. Without any cooperation or discipline, everyone just threw their weapons at each other's heads, necks, and chests. Until he knocked his opponent to the ground, bleeding and unable to move.

Mira, who had grown a little more "......", was still unable to face all this with complete calm, and the two quickened their pace. The higher southern lands have begun to have harder land. The rattan whip flicked lightly, the war horse neighed, and the surrounding scenery began to retreat quickly behind him.

It's been a month since Mira learned to ride a horse, and the blood of the Roan people as a fighting nation is still implicitly present in her body. With excellent talent and down-to-earth hard work, the girl is like a sponge after meeting Henry, absorbing all kinds of knowledge related to her future destiny.

The sun was shining across the sky, and in just one day out of the Ridiera region, they had spent two to three days in the swamp.

In addition to the fact that the ground is soft and rotten, the movement of horses can attract dangerous predators, and there may be various natural puddles and other traps in the swamp.

As the light dimmed, the two approached the edge of a small grove. Stopped.

The fine, waterproof cloth folded on horseback and soaked in tung oil was removed, and Henry made a makeshift tent by cutting down a few small trees from Kramer and cutting them into sticks for support, and then fastening the cloth to the trunk of a larger tree with hemp rope.

Naturally, Mira began to gather the firewood and set up the iron pot, and with the horses they could carry a lot of tools and provisions, the girl remembered a little that she had traveled on the plains of Acasta when she first met, and that life in the wilderness had changed considerably.

The sound of crackling firewood began to flash along with the orange bonfire, and the ground was still a little damp, but the flames were successfully ignited.

"Grab. Mira pulled out the cork from the closure of the large soft leather water bladder and poured the water into the iron pot with a "clatter".

"Give. Henry, who was on the side, removed a sack from his horse, which was not too large. Mira took it and opened it, and it was full of crystal clear rice.

"Is it okay to just put it in and cook it?" the girl asked, and the sage nodded.

The other horse was pulled closer by Henry, and the tame animals were still alarmed by the campfire. Therefore, they should not be allowed to get too close. Another advantage of keeping the horses on the periphery is that they serve as a guard when resting, and the horses used for riding remain quite wild even after being tamed, especially when carefully selected. Horses sleep standing at night. When approached by wild beasts or strangers, they will become restless.

The grove is very sparse and not very large. Therefore, thieves or coyotes can approach from either direction.

The barren five kingdoms were at war for many years, and most of the displaced people had become robbers and thieves. A vicious cycle to add insult to injury. In this area, it is natural that you can't sleep peacefully at night.

The last glimmer of light finally faded into the distance, leaving only the flickering firelight as illumination. Mira took out the dried salted fish wrapped in a large cotton cloth from the largest leather pouch on the back of her spotted white horse, and the flavor of the food that could be stored for a long time was the same as that of Avenella's. She took a few of the small, right-sized sprigs she had deliberately selected from the firewood she had gathered before, rinsed them, inserted them into the dried fish, and leaned against the fire.

A bonfire heated rice porridge and dried fish at the same time, and the girl, who was not going to be idle, took out the book with a crusty cover and began to study by the firelight.

The heat in the iron pot slowly rises, and the white-haired girl reading carefully next to the campfire stirs it with a wooden spoon from time to time to add firewood or turn the dried fish. The tall black-haired sage behind her was intently wiping his broadsword with a sackcloth.

Life is simple and fulfilling, although there are not too many ups and downs, but such days are also very enjoyable.

Time passed uneventfully.

The moon sets, the sun rises.

Day after day.

The surroundings are constantly changing, and at some point the reeds begin to disappear. As more and more cyan and tender green trees and shrubs appear around, the weeds and flowers gently swaying in the spring breeze keep telling. The white-haired girl finally realizes that spring is coming.

The cookie-cutter scenery of the previous passage through the Rideira area did not give her such a real feeling.

The road ahead looks fairly smooth. A mild, cool spring breeze blows from afar, and the emerald green foliage makes a "whoosh" sound - all this. It's all refreshing.

There were already more pedestrians than the wetlands behind them, and the crimson walls could be seen at the end of the dirt road in the woods, and many horse-drawn carriages and merchants with huge rattan baskets on their backs passed by the two of them, heading towards the hinterland of the kingdom to the west.

-- This is the first real city-state in the middle of the kingdom of Crane, and because of its location on a major transportation route, it can be regarded as prosperous.

"This is probably Abbot, the branch of the first mercenary guild in the south is here, let's go say hello and see if there is any commission to take. Henry turned to Mira and said. The girl nodded in agreement.

Outside mercenaries like them are not common in Ebbut, because they are not too wealthy, and even if they are commissioned, they are mostly settled by locals.

Travelers are rare, and in addition to being heavily armed and riding tall horses, the two of them, one large and one young, with a completely different appearance from the locals, have just entered the city and have attracted a lot of attention. Black and white hair stand out in the red, brown, and blonde southern regions, but people who know they don't have anything to do with each other just look at each other for a while and go their separate ways.

There are no checkpoints or checks in the city of Abbit, and even if there is, two people on horseback wearing blue mercenary badges can drive straight in.

The Mercenary Guild also works part-time in many areas, with functions such as police stations. After all, as long as there is money to take them, any bounty will be released. And some of the privileges of the mercenaries are naturally also in the acquiescence of the local lords.

The mercenaries are looking for work here, and the lords allow their presence. They would pay taxes to the lord and settle some problems within the realm, with each side taking what they needed.

Horses' hooves trampled on the solid dirt floor. The two horses hadn't changed their farriers for a long time, because the places where they walked were soft mud. In the north, in the case of Prospel in West Valier, where there are stone slabs everywhere, the fowls are replaced much more frequently.

Mira looked curiously from side to side. The merchants on this side of the kingdom seem to carry large rattan baskets more than horse-drawn carts, which may have something to do with the fact that its roads are not so easy to follow. The girl saw quite a few stalls on the side of the road. There were rows of rows of things that looked exactly like carrots, but were white.

There are also quite a few people who have been eating rice since coming to the south to sell it. They were packed in large square wooden basins. There is a small wooden spoon inside. Mira glanced at it, and everyone's wooden spoons were the same size, presumably by selling them in this way.

There were a lot of fresh freshwater fish and shrimp in the market, as well as small crabs and turtles, and the girl even saw a small crocodile tied tightly with hemp rope at a stall.

"Humans really ...... You can eat anything. She sighed quietly, and Henry, who was in front of her, didn't know if she hadn't heard it, but continued to lead the way towards the center of the city.

They didn't ask for directions, and the mercenary guilds were in roughly the same location in each city-state. It is likely to exist close to the city center, and you can find this highly recognizable building by walking through the market and going inside.

"Look. The two continued to walk forward, and many passers-by frequently looked sideways, but Henry slowed down and turned his head to signal in a certain direction.

The girl followed his instructions and saw a somewhat unusual stall with a lot of armor and weapons.

She first suspected that it was a blacksmith, but most of the metal weapons were rusty, most of them were chipped, curled, and some of the deeper corners were even broken and twisted—a blacksmith would never do this with his goods.

The same is true for weapons, as well as armor, many of which are mutilated, and iron-plated armor that is also sunken and twisted.

Naturally, the quality was not superior, and it seemed that it should be something that some low-level mercenary would wear—Mira turned her questioning gaze to Henry.

"This is the equipment of the mercenaries who have been defeated or killed in battle, and perhaps some noble knights among them. The sage shrugged his shoulders and explained, "When I died, I was stripped down and sold for money. ”

"It's very common in war-torn areas like this. His tone was calm, while Mira behind him was silent for a moment.

"It's miserable...... the girl sighed, not in a high voice, but the sage in front of him could clearly hear it, as he shrugged his shoulders again.

"That's why we have to be careful, at least not to end up in this situation. ”

As he spoke, the two of them walked out of the market, and only after turning another corner, the mercenary guild with a lingua franca sign appeared in front of them.

......

R: Today's double shift. (To be continued.) )