The moonlight is not very bright.

The weather in early spring is always cloudy and sunny, day and night. The cloudy sky obscured most of the moonlight, and not even the moon of Siphink could penetrate. While the low visibility gave the crowd plenty of cover, it was also somewhat terrifying at what was happening in the endless darkness.

Unknown insects chirped in the mossy and weedy corners of nearby houses, recovering from the cold of winter and frolicking like people in the brightly lit vocal venues in the middle of the swamp village.

The literati of the Land of the Moon often raised small insects and wrote poems for their songs.

But the crowd didn't appreciate the sound at the moment.

"It's been an hour and a half. Alfonso began: "They should have been there for an hour and a half. ”

"It's been a long time. He emphasized his thoughts, and the two missionaries next to him nodded, as did the girl of Loan, who was soothing the three horses. Henry didn't speak, scanning his surroundings with gray-blue eyes, making sure he could detect any movement in time.

On such nights, the banks of the river embankment in Marsh Village are almost unfrequented, and everyone gathers in those brightly lit areas.

The leader of the Yi tribe, a middle-aged man named Temulun who spoke a little stuttering, had more frequent exchanges with people because the settlement was located further south than Lulu's tribe. Therefore, they are the ones who know the most about the general situation of the swamp village as a transportation hub in the vicinity.

Henry and the others are outright foreigners. Although the sage had been here in the distant past, in an era when foreign exchange was even more restricted than it is now, his steps were confined to the vicinity of Shinkyo.

This is similar to Miss Doctor, before embarking on a journey of courage and strategy, Aya's range of activities was also in the Shinkyo area in the south. And considering the size and other issues, even if she knows something about this place, it is too risky to disguise herself and go on the road together.

Based on these premises, it is not unreasonable that Priest Alfonso would feel anxious.

- the initiative is not in their hands. Young people like Mira and Kaleva and Agi may not be aware of it, but as people in high positions, the middle-aged priest is very uneasy about it.

Although Henry made it clear that the rebels would not treat the Yiren equally, and Aya made a promise to intercede with the royal family in her honorable status, so that the Yiren could return to a stable life. As a condition, he obtained the cooperation of Temurun and others.

However, as outsiders, it is also an indisputable fact that they had to rely on Temulun and others, who were relatively more familiar with the local situation, on the way to the south.

Their promises will not be fulfilled until the end of a long journey, and they will depend on them for much along the way, at least in the Northern Realms. If the time horizon is extended, things will inevitably change, and the lack of understanding to take the initiative will inevitably cause anxiety for a typical Lamani leadership member like Alfonso.

Adding fuel to the fire is the issue of funding. The Yi people who lived by hunting did not have much money, so the money used to buy all kinds of supplies and large enough barges was paid from Henry and others—to be precise, from the money that Alfonso and others carried as employers, which should have been used as funds for the construction of the Crescent Continent.

The vast majority of Alfonso was gold, but some of it was converted in advance into local silver taels as operational funds as a precautionary measure. And this time it was used to buy supplies and barges, and it was this part.

The priest is not Loren, he has seen Henry's treatment of the Lamanite scholar before and understands that this mercenary is not simple, and he knows that now is not a good time for his own small calculations, and he must prove his worth in order to survive. Despite this, people who have only known each other for a few days and have no insurance measures and are not at all uneasy are basically having problems with their heads.

When assigning tasks, he was really tempted to say that Temurun's son Hulan, the boy who accidentally slipped his foot and dropped an arrow, was by their side or something. The priests had already figured out the excuses, what to ensure safety and so on, and it was better to stay with them at a young age.

But these people are not fools, and they will immediately realize that this is to keep hostages to prevent them from absconding with the money. And as soon as this opening is opened, it is likely to cause a rift in the temporary alliance that is not close in the first place.

Alfonso wasn't stupid, so he wouldn't behave like Loraine.

Although trusting him would mean facing betrayal, he didn't seem to have much of a choice. I can only believe in the leadership ability of this mercenary who calls himself Henry Mayer and has a Vislan name, but no matter how you look at it, it is Suomir, and the perception of the common crisis of those Yi people.

He was more shrewd than the pretentious Lorraine from high society, and he knew when to let go and not think about everything in control, but he still began to feel uneasy because of the nature of the Rahman leadership.

Naturally, Henry noticed all this.

Although Alfonso thought he was well hidden, his sensitivity to the passage of time and his restless appearance revealed his doubts.

Something was wrong, and while it was understandable that the procurement itself was taking a long time, they had a clear division of labor and a list that they could simply do.

Unlike the clergy, the sage did not suspect that it was a change of fortune. One is because these hunters are relatively simple, and they don't like intrigue as much as the Imperials, and the other is that their group is the best choice for Temulun and the others at the moment.

So, naturally, something unexpected happened.

Ever since he got here, he's been watching his surroundings closely. Although I have never been here in person, I am able to make a rough inference from various details thanks to my knowledge.

As a result, the sage made the choice to stay near the river embankment, where not many people would come.

While it's easy to attract more unwanted attention by staying put, they don't have a proper way to get in touch and may get separated if they stay on the move.

And most importantly, Marsh Village is like many other towns and villages that lack a rational urban planning and everyone builds houses on land – the houses are built haphazardly.

From the outside, it may seem like there is a way to go inside, but when you do walk in, you will find that someone has suddenly built a house or built a wall in the middle of the road, and you have to take a detour to the side. It's easy for even locals to get lost in the alleys.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, they stayed on the embankment, which only had two directions, the front and back. There are not many dazzling buildings here, except for a distant hut that looks hazy in the dim moonlight and stands on the river at the edge of the swamp.

As the minutes ticked by, Alfonso didn't speak again, but silence was also a form of anxiety.

"The bugs don't scream anymore. Mira slowly drew her sword in small increments, avoiding a sound. It then hung low and hidden in the shadows, preventing the metal from reflecting the moonlight to attract the attention of distant patrols.

"Well, surrounded. The sage's tone remained calm, but the rest of the four, including Kaleva, were a little flustered.

"What should I do, teacher, ride a horse to break through?" asked the Luoan girl.

"Nope. The sage shook his head, his keen sense of smell catching something, and turned his head to look high.

The two-meter-tall house was like a Lilliputtian house to Henry, so he could clearly notice some creeping shadows on the rooftops.

A subtle, pungent sour smell permeated the icy air, and the humid swamp air sharpened his sense of smell, so from a distance of more than ten meters, he could tell that it was some kind of plant juice smeared on the utensils in the hands of those people.

"Don't act rashly, it's a poison that seals your throat with blood, and the other party comes prepared. Heng spoke in Lamani, not only to instruct Mira, but also to the others not to make any sudden movements.

"Good. The nervous Kaleva and the vigilant Roan Maiden both put their weapons back and lowered their hands in a gesture of non-resistance, while the missionary and the others who had found the light crossbow hesitated, but in the end chose to do the same thing.

"Are we here to talk, as you can see, we are not armed. Henry spoke into the darkness in the language of the Moon Nation, but no one responded.

"Come out of the shadows and show me your face. A moment later, a slightly hoarse voice spoke.

"......." The sage walked slowly to the moonlight, his gray-blue eyes and tall figure on display.

"......" There was a slight commotion in the darkness, and he could keenly capture it: "....... I didn't tell a lie......." or something like that, but because these people spoke with accents and local dialects, Henry couldn't fully understand them.

"A well-articulated Gentile with a huge stature like Oni. I have two questions, who is Your Excellency, and what is the matter with a character like Your Excellency visiting our village?" said the hoarse voice, which was clearly different from the others.

"Isn't it polite to introduce yourself first when asking someone a question?" but Henry did not relent, and asked back directly and forcefully.

"This guy. The man standing behind the leader raised some kind of tube in his hand, as if to attack the sage, but at that moment, as if ignoring the darkness, Henry instantly turned his head and looked directly at him with those blue eyes.

"This. "It's clear that the enemy is bright and I am dark, but the warrior who is under the cover of darkness feels like a mouse being targeted by a night owl, unable to move.

"Your Excellency...... Able to see darkly. A hoarse voice spoke, then sighed and waved his hand.

Immediately after that, the people around him who were on guard suddenly all lowered their weapons.

They move in unison, not at all like motley bandits.

"Tread, step. The owner of the hoarse voice came out of the darkness, and Mira frowned at the sound of his footsteps—she noticed that the man was lame with an injury to his right foot.

Such a person can actually approach this distance quietly, don't say it's her, and even her teacher can't detect it in time?

Even if the other party has the advantage of being a local snake and knows the complex buildings in the local area well, even if they can close this distance, it is enough to prove that these people are well-trained.

"Sinoby. Henry said a word that Mila didn't understand, as if referring to the professions of these people.

"It seems that Your Excellency knows more about our country than we think. The man who also walked into the dim moonlight was about Alfonso's age, with long gray hair tied into a ponytail at the back of his head, and wore a typical Moonland style of wide clothing, with a sky blue background and a warm brown waistcoat on the outside.

"How did Xinjing's elite spies and assassination troops fall to the level of serving as security guards for a bunch of ruffians. The sage was still merciless, and when he threw his words, several young and vigorous people seemed to be in a commotion.

But the chief did not give the order, and they did not move.

"The same reason you came to the land of my Moon Country. The leader spoke, "It's just to survive." ”

"The contemptible man is the leader of this insignificant squad, just call him Qingshi. As you can see, this area is served. He paused: "Security." ”

"Henry. The sage shrugged his shoulders and introduced himself as well.

"Your Excellency really cherishes words, but contemptible people do not hate them, there are too many dogs in this world that bark and do not bite—this is the end of the greetings, although it is a little abrupt, and I ask you to go with me to meet the Lord. ”

"Your companions are already waiting there. The leader of the self-proclaimed Qingshi said this, although the wording was polite, but it obviously did not give them the right to refuse.

"Teacher?" said Mira, turning her gaze to Henry, as did the others.

"Let's go. ”

"When I entered someone's territory, I didn't greet the owner. ”

"We're a bit rude. The sage shrugged his shoulders and said.