"Lucky mercy, let you meet Uncle Ben, obedient and obedient, if you can satisfy me, maybe you will be given a chance to leave completely, otherwise ......"

Rogers stepped on the swollen face of the leader of the horse thieves and smirked condescendingly.

The horse thieves around them watched in a daze as their leaders were trampled on and humiliated, but they didn't dare to make any extra moves.

Their leader has the strength of a warrior in the late bronze period, and his eyes are also very vicious, and he will never take the initiative to rob passers-by who have the aura of a strong man.

And this time, in the blink of an eye, the young man on the opposite side knocked the leader to the ground.

"Where's the money? Hand it over to me! Rogers took out his pocket watch from the pocket sewn under his cloak, and after twisting the timing twice, he said with a cruel smile: "Before the watch rings, make a noose, and move your head!" ”

The leader of the horse thieves tried his best to raise his blue, black, red, swollen eyelids, and looked at the ornate dial with a hint of confusion, but although he had never seen a pocket watch, he understood the general meaning of the words.

Just as he wanted to open his mouth to respond, he found that his face was pressed by the soles of Rogers' shoes, and he could only make a whimpering sound.

Seeing the pointer keep turning, his eyes couldn't help but be rosy, and a color of despair appeared.

"Crying?! It's time to cry! Rogers stared into the other's eyes and reminded impatiently.

"Your Excellency...... You step on the chief, he is not good at talking......"

A horse thief not far away cautioned in imperial Chinese with a thick accent.

"Mouthy!" Rogess's face suddenly turned ugly, and he glared at the horse thief, throwing a small enchanted stone through his forehead.

After a slight crackling and popping sound, a bright red stain of blood flowed from the center of the thief's brow, and his body fell limply from the horse, splashing a puff of dust, and the horse restlessly began to crumble in place.

"We don't usually take too many with us when we go out, these are the only two silver coins and some copper coins......"

When Rogus lifted his foot, the leader quickly fumbled through his pockets, pulled out all his money, and handed it to Rogers, when the pocket watch sounded appropriately.

After Rogers put away his pocket watch, he took out a handkerchief, wrapped the currency and put it away, and then asked about his surroundings.

After an afternoon tea, under the cover of Alice's [Hidden Bonus], Rogers let out a heavy breath and raised his foot to stomp on the sand under his feet.

The original horse thieves had disappeared without a trace, and were sent away by Rogers intact, as if the thieves had never appeared, except for two horses.

"Let's go over on foot, just behave naturally, listen to these horse thieves, the town over there is not too chaotic, and the madmen of the Disorderly Abyss should be in the hidden stage, and there is no unbridled scourge."

Rogers changed the saddles of the two horses and turned on his horse, not intending to wait for the caravan with Alice.

Because of the presence of these horse thieves, the ordinary caravans on this trade route are almost extinct, and the number of caravans that can be escorted by warriors or magicians is very scarce, and it is unknown how long it will be.

The two rode their horses, and as they went, a sparse pile of dark green weeds spread over the otherwise barren skyline, followed by the inconspicuous Paliif Volcano.

The outline of the volcano is clearly visible, and its massive body stands between heaven and earth, like a sleeping giant, exuding an awe-inspiring majesty, and the intertwined textures of the rocks shimmer strangely in the sunlight.

When the Paliv volcano erupted nearly 1,000 years ago, it is recorded that lava and ash covered large swaths of the surrounding land, bringing destruction and nutrients to the soils, creating an excellent environment for many plants to thrive.

For hundreds of years, desert dwellers have come to settle down and open up farmland, gradually forming a small town - Rawa City.

Coupled with the fact that it is the intersection of many major trade routes, the city of Rawa can be considered prosperous.

Rogers and Alice dismount and walk into it on a leash, and the town's architecture is dominated by earthy yellow, blending in with the surrounding desert environment, giving it a sense of simplicity and nature.

Narrow laneways crisscross the town, like a dry river, and the sandstone and stone walls are mottled with the imprint of history.

People wearing cloaks or robes with thick turbans wrapped around their heads walk through the streets, and from time to time you can see stalls along the road with a wide variety of goods.

Colourful silks, spices and intricate crafts are intertwined to exude an exotic atmosphere.

I don't know if the information from the Imperial Capital newspaper didn't reach here, or if these merchants and residents didn't believe the newspaper reports, and the news that the volcano was likely to erupt did not make the city desolate.

"The castle surrounded by palm groves in front is the city lord's mansion, and the city lord here has no title, he can only be regarded as a squire, but because of the importance of Rawa City, his status is not low......"

Rogers raised his hand and pointed ahead to introduce Alice, when he noticed that they were being watched again.

"Let's find an inn to stay in."

He frowned slightly and whispered to Alice.

The most troublesome thing about this kind of remoteness is the problem of law and order, and there are countless rats with various thoughts.

But these rats are nothing compared to the Sons of Discord and the many madmen who are nestled in the city of Rawa.

There were also a few followers of the bottomless pit who could be here, but for fear of provoking the forces of the Discord Abyss, Rogers only gave them the task of probing for information, and forbade them to intervene too much, so there were not many of them.

The reason why I didn't contact them immediately was because I was afraid that they had been targeted by the madmen of the Discord Abyss, and that they would cause unnecessary trouble.

The city has no so-called planning, it is full of markets, taverns and inns, and many residents have simply converted their homes into inns.

"Good afternoon, my name is Amidal."

A middle-aged man wearing a dark blue robe, a heavy black turban, slightly dark skin, and a thick beard approached Rogers, introduced himself cordially, and asked:

"Do you need to wait for the summons of the city lord? My hostel is not far south of the castle, a short walk from the castle, and you can come with me if you don't already have a place to stay. ”

Armidal's attitude was very respectful, because Rogers and Alice's posture and temperament were not at all like ordinary merchants, and for residents with a strong business environment, reading people was the most basic skill.

Rogers groaned for a moment, then bowed his head in agreement, and Amidal saw this smile even more, and after realizing that Rogus was the principal, he immediately thoughtfully led the horses for Rogus, and began to introduce which places in the city were better to play and which were more affordable.

While they were talking, they came to a three-story stone house in an earthy yellow color, and Amidal asked a young man sitting on the stone steps at the door to lead the two horses to the stable behind the house, and led Rogers and Alice into the hall of the inn.

"Wood is too expensive, so most of the furniture in the hostels in the city is made of stone, but the beds are made of a lot of cotton, which is not hard."

Armidal looked at Alice's curious look and explained.

Rutgers's gaze fell on the child reading on the stone table on the counter, who was flipping through a tome, his fingers moving back and forth on the coordinate system of the page, his eyes full of curiosity and inquiry.

"His name is Tartua, my youngest son, and it is my eldest son who has just taken care of your horses.

"The book was left behind by a former guest, but we only knew arithmetic and didn't know much about words.

"I don't know why this kid likes to hold that incomprehensible book and touch it, and then I heard an old liar from Jingam that the book was written by a sage, and he praised this stinky boy for reading it one day, maybe he can be a sage."

Amidal approached Rogus and looked at Tatua dotingly, speaking in a mocking and self-deprecating tone.

"Written by a sage?" Rogers was curious, walked over to the counter, and whispered to Tateya, "Can I read this book?" ”

"Well, you see." Tatua looked up at Rogus, hesitated, and finally pushed the book over.

The paper of the book is not of high quality, and the leather cover is engraved with the title "The Collected Essays of Rogers Breed".

The book was not written by Rogers, but was compiled with some of the author's own notes.

Rutgers has seen a lot of similar books, and the annotations in this one are not very brilliant.

Suddenly, as if he had touched a touch of inspiration, Rogers slowly spread the book back in front of Tatuya, and asked in a calm tone, "Do you want to know what these words mean?" ”

"Yes!" Without hesitation, Tatuya replied immediately, his face flushed with longing and curiosity, and he looked at Rogers in a daze, his eyes full of hope.

The word means to exist, but it has more than one meaning, and in different discourses, this existence can be isolated or continuous.

"It's like a river, some people say that we can't step into the same river twice, it's about isolation......"

Rogers pointed to a word, and what he deliberately said was not easy for Tatuya, but Tatua still managed to tighten his brow, and kept muttering, "Exist...... There is ......"

"So what do we have? How does it exist? I am...... What am I?"

Tatuya's words were immature and clumsy, and his description of the problem was vague, but the curiosity in his eyes grew stronger, and his expression fell into Rogus's eyes like a treasure.

"You go back to your room and rest for a while, and I'll teach this kid." Rogers' gaze never took off Tatua's eyes, and he handed the backpack to Alice beside him, and said slowly.

It is better to teach a man to fish than to teach him to fish, an old proverb from his hometown in his previous life, which constantly haunted Rogers's mind.

He suddenly understood a lot of things, and he also understood what enlightenment meant.

There is no need to go to the most brilliant scholars in the Empire, nor to the many geniuses of St. Herthery, just the children of this remote place.

All Rogus had to do was hand over a key, a key that would open the door to wisdom.

Neither knowledge nor wisdom is the most important, the most important thing turns out to be the key itself.

The surge of [Inspiration Bonus] caused him to have a long-lost pleasure, and he wanted to continue this pleasure.

"Okay." Alice obediently took the backpack and didn't ask too much.

Amidal thanked him repeatedly, claiming that this was a rare honor for Tatuya, and after seeing that Rogers was only concentrating on guiding Tautoya, he quickly closed his mouth and respectfully and gratefully pointed out the location of the guest room for Alice.

The sun is slowly setting, the sky is covered in orange and lavender, the sunset reflects a magnificent picture, and the sand particles flutter gently in the city of Rawa like a golden mist, making people feel like they are in a dream.

As night falls, the temperature drops dramatically, not only is it not as hot as during the day, but it is chilly, reflecting the unique climate of the desert.

Tarthua was curled up in a heavy blanket, and Amidal lit charcoal, which was precious to him, at the counter, to keep Rogus warm.

"Alright, that's all for today." Rogers whispered in a dry voice.

Led by Amidal, Tatuya stood up and bowed, stroking his chest and thanking him sincerely.

Rogers only waved his hand at this, and what he had gained was precious, and without asking too much about the price of the lodging, he handed the two silver and bronze coins he had taken from the horse thief to Amidal:

"Tatuya is gifted, this is my gift to him, and when I leave in a few days, I will use the money to hire a good mentor for him."

After saying that, despite Armidal's blunt statement that the money was far more than a few days' overnight fees, and the successive refusals, Rogers went straight back to the three-story house.

"I didn't expect that the [Enlightenment Bonus] that bothered me the most could usher in a transformation by simply handing out a key, which is too difficult to evaluate."

He returned to the house, closed the wooden door, and couldn't help but sigh to himself.

Although the [Enlightenment Bonus] is still only a high-level bonus, he can clearly perceive that maybe tonight, or maybe at dawn, he will definitely be able to get a second miracle.

"Looks like you're in a good mood, do we have to plan anything more? Or just go to sleep? Alice asked softly with the same smile as she looked at the smile on Rogers' lips.

"Wait." Rogers suddenly remembered what he had promised, and after replying to Alice, he summoned the book and pulled out one of the papers.

There were many words from Alina, such as the arrangement of the two Shadow Demons, a description of the status of the club, and new advances in the research of space magic.

All that remained was to inquire about Rogers' current situation, and as time went on, the more Alina asked, and the tone between the words became visibly stiff.

Until Rogers' eyes fell on the bottom of the same printing paper, there was only a question written in a beautiful and regular font: Rogers, are you dead?

(End of chapter)

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