Section 2 Guards

At noon, the whole group took a nap in the shade of the trees.

It was the height of summer, the sun was blazing, and the stones on the ground were so sunburned that they could almost boil eggs. It is really lucky to be able to find this grove in hot weather.

Vehicles were parked in an open space on one side, and oxen and horses pulling carts were untied from their wheels to share the rare shade.

"Ashrufat!" a powerful voice rang out, and Ashruphat put down the book in his hand and looked up at the person who was shouting. It was Chrissy, the leader of the "Summer Night's Dream" cabaret troupe, his employer. As a troupe owner, Chrissy is actually not very old, she looks no more than thirty years old - of course, no one dares to ask her exact age, and it is either an idiot or a fool to ask such a question to a woman's face - but she already has all the qualities and enough experience that a troupe owner should have. According to some veteran members, Chrissy has been the head of the troupe for at least four years, and the troupe has grown a lot under her hands.

"Commander, what do you command?" Ashrufat folded the book in his hand and put it in his waist bag, and got up from the ground. His forehead was clean, not a drop of sweat, while Chrissy was covered in sweat, and even the thin dress was wet and clinging to her body, revealing the curves of her body.

"There's one less horse!" Chrissy waved her hand as anger was evident in her expression. "Damn, we lost a horse!

The woods are located on the bank of a small river, close to the main road, and theoretically there is no way for horses to escape the sight of people. But perhaps it is for this reason that people let their guard down and eventually lose their horses.

"I'm a guard, not a groom. Ashrufat replied. It is his job to maintain order and guard against thieves, and the loss of horses is theoretically irrelevant to his job.

The anger in Chrissy's eyes intensified, and at that moment Ashruphat even had the illusion that she would pounce and bite someone.

"Master, I advise you not to refuse this request better. And the horse was just behind a big rock on the side of the river, so it was easy to find. In her mind, Carrie made a suggestion.

"Okay, I'll go find it. Ashrufat replied. He made a code, and the black nightmare pony came to his side. He got on his horse and galloped toward the edge of the riverbank. After a short time, he led the lost horse back into the woods.

"Commander, I found the horse. Ashruphat handed the reins to Chrissy, and then went to a tree, sat down against it, and took out the book and continued reading.

"What are you reading, Lord Eshurufat?" a voice came from behind Ashrufat, and then a soft body squeezed around him, sitting side by side with him. The person Ashrufat recognized was Xiangye, one of the pillars of the "Summer Night's Dream" troupe, a girl who could dance extremely gracefully. After Ashrufat cleaned up a few bandits who tried to rob/rob the troupe on her own two days ago, she seemed attracted to his coat of arms and insisted on calling him "Lord".

Xiangye's eyes came over curiously, but this book was not a printed product, but a manuscript, or a diary. She skimmed a few lines, which were written about some of the author's inexplicable experiences, as well as some daily trivialities. These things can't attract the interest of young girls at all.

"Do you know words?" said Ashrufat, who was a little surprised. Unless they come from aristocratic and merchant families, it is difficult for ordinary people to have the opportunity to learn the written language.

"Well, the regimental commander taught me. Xiangye barely read a few more lines, and she had already judged that the book was nothing more than a diary or something, and that it meant nothing to her. But she didn't know why Ashorufat had a soft spot for this book, and she always took it out and read it when she had nothing to do.

Ashrufat sighed and closed the book. With the girl by his side, he couldn't concentrate on reading. The moment he closed the book, Sakaba noticed that the cover of the book was painted with a winged snake with a signature on it, which appeared to have been left by the author, and the signature read "Thomas".

He turned his gaze to the girl. Xiangye is an orphan who was taken in by Chrissy, and she is not very old, she looks to be about fifteen or sixteen years old (she doesn't know her exact age), which is just enough for a coming-of-age ceremony among the nobles. Of course, it is impossible for Xiangye to hold any coming-of-age ceremony, but from the first time she stepped on the stage, she was considered an adult in this troupe. Ashruphat felt that she was ignorant like a child in some ways, but very sensitive in others.

She is very beautiful and has a beauty that is a mixture of innocence and coquettishness, which makes a man's eyes can't take his eyes off. Maybe it's because of her long life in the troupe, she always gives people a flirtatious and coquettish feeling, but if anyone tries to tease her, they will find that she will put on a straight face and leave disdainfully.

Ashrufat moved to the side, but the bay leaves clung to it. Because of the heat, she didn't wear much, and out of the corner of Ashrufat's eye, she could see her fair neck. Seeing the white skin mixed with pale cyan veins, Eshufat's throat tightened.

In the veins is the sweet life force.

No, it was just an illusion! There was only bloody blood flowing from his veins! He forced his gaze off the other's neck as he tried to remember the disgusting stench of blood. He has always been like this, why does he have such a strange impulse in his heart at this moment?

"You seem to be very heat-resistant, Ashrufat!" said Shoba, who continued to lean over, carefully observing Ashrufat's forehead, not realizing that the other's eyes were staring at the major artery in her neck. "On such a hot day, you didn't sweat. ”

"It's a gift. Ashrufat gritted his teeth and replied in a stiff voice.

"Well done, Ashrufat!" Chrissy's words interrupted his inner struggle. The beautiful leader appeared in front of him, and Xiangye quickly shrank back, not daring to continue to get so close to Ashrufat. Ashrufat breathed a sigh of relief deep inside.

"Are you interested in staying in the Summer Night's Dream group for a long time?" Chrissy gestured to Xiangye, who immediately left obediently.

Ashrufat's mouth opened, and he didn't know why the head of the regiment would make such a request. At the hiring price of only one silver coin a week, would anyone be willing to stay in this regiment for a long time? Of course, Ashrufat didn't need any money at the moment, but the price was too low and too low. Not to mention those experienced veteran mercenaries, even the fledgling novices will not only need this price. It's the kind of price for a short-term job that's purely hard work, like those on the docks. Dock workers, on the other hand, do not need to wander around, eat and sleep in the open, do not need to learn martial arts, train hard, stand guard on duty, risk their lives to deal with thieves, and do not need to bring their own weapons, horses and armor.

In fact, the commission paid to Ashrufat was the lowest in the entire troupe, lower than that of the handymen.

"Commander, as I said, I'm just making a little money along the way. ”

"I'll give you a raise. Chrissy had a businessman's signature smile on her face. "How about half a silver coin a day, and I can sign you a long-term contract. ”

Ashrufat smiled. Chrissy, as the leader of the group, may not be the best dancer in the team, but she is definitely the best businessman in the team, and every copper is clearly calculated.

"There are so many beauties in the group, this is a rare benefit. Captain Chrissy hinted. She was right, two-thirds of the troupe was women, and almost all of them were good, well above average. Even Chrissy herself is a beautiful woman.

Ashrufat still didn't answer.

"I know you're a trainee knight, and this commission price is really too low for you. The regimental leader's eyes casually glanced at the nightmare horse not far away. Anyone could tell that such a tall horse was worth a lot, not to mention the shield with her coat of arms on it. Mercenaries rarely have coats of arms painted on their shields and armor - except for the Cadet Knights, who have been reduced to mercenaries. And this point is even clearer from the coexistence during this time - although Ashrufat can deal with five robbers alone, he is very polite in his daily life, and he does not drink and have fun when he has time, but reads books. This difference shows that he is not an ordinary rough mercenary. "But you have to think about the future. ”

"Future?" said Ashrufat, who was a little strange.

"We're no ordinary cabaret anymore. Chrissy said proudly, "Gone are the days of wandering. Look at this. ”

She handed a piece of paper to Ashrufat, her brow growning with excitement.

It was a letter, or rather, an invitation. The letter was simply that a nobleman had invited the "Summer Night's Dream" troupe to perform in public on his domain as part of a major festival.

In other words, "Summer Night's Dream" has become so well-known that it was able to receive such an invitation. As we all know, this kind of gathering is a good opportunity for the troupe to make money, and it is almost certain that the audience is full, and of course the invited troupe will have all kinds of additional gifts and rewards.

Chrissy has reason to be proud, and this invitation is a testament to her success. Starting with this, they will not waste time currying favor with vulgar citizens in those small towns with little oil and water, but will travel to and from various big cities, various aristocratic estates, and even perform in real theaters according to the invitation of different people, and truly express the charm of art. There will be no more worries about the extortion of those hooligans and petty officials, and there will be no more financial problems, and there will be many outstanding singers and dancers who will take the initiative to join this team.

Ashrufat returned the letter to Chrissy.

"How about it, did you get tempted? I promise you, when the team's financial situation improves, I will give you a raise. After a while, we'll hire a small squad of guards, and then you can be a team leader. ”

"It's very attractive," Ashrufat replied politely, "if you may, give me some time to think about it, okay?" His gaze rested on Chrissy's body, or rather, on her neck. But it was only for a moment, and Ashruphat immediately retracted his gaze. Chrissy didn't notice that his fists were clenched tightly.

"Absolutely. The head of the regiment replied.