For a moment, Tails thought Tauntin was about to burst into tears.

In the firelight, his upper and lower lips collided back and forth, his small eyes on his cheekbones blinked and blinked in a daze, and the greasy hair on his forehead swayed slightly.

But the owner of the caravan took a sharp breath, and finally stabilized the crumbling image.

Thomding curled his cheeks and squeezed out an ugly smile.

"Okay. ”

"Do you know what reminds me of that?"

Thomding coughed, and the necklace around his neck kept shaking: "In those war-torn times, my great-grandfather fought under the command of the 'Virtuous King' Mindis III, and His Majesty the King told him at a banquet: The more difficult times we encounter, the more confident we are. ”

Fastrope covered his forehead in pain and mouth-shot "again", and Tails noticed that many of Dante's greatsword were making similar movements.

But Dean still looked at Tomding with composure, his face as usual.

"Now, it's time for you—no, for all of us to have a little more faith," Thomding tightened his belt, his bulging belly bouncing in the air, as if he thought it would give them some confidence:

"Good Dean, dear Dean, you know, I've always admired you, so I think your hire pay could be a little higher......"

Dean smiled.

"You didn't listen, it's not confidence that we're lacking, it's security, it's not that we're driving up prices," Dean smiled politely, as if it were just the most ordinary of negotiations: "We can't go any further—God knows what's waiting for us up ahead." ”

"The corpses in the camp are so fresh that they haven't even had time to bury the sand, which shows that we are only one step away from the unknown danger, and I would say that we should have considered turning back yesterday morning. ”

Thomding was slightly stunned.

"Dean, you promised me that I could come on this trip," the merchant's chest began to rise and fall, and he glared at Dean with round eyes, "You can't let me go home empty-handed and lose money!

The fast rope is bright.

"In that case, I'd suggest you deposit a sum of money at Tavernkeeper Tampa next time, and if you go home empty-handed like this, then he'll pay you back...... Hmm, hmm, hmm......" But before he finished speaking, he was viciously covered by Kanze, a northerner on the side, and danced with tears, struggling helplessly.

"Things are always going to change," Dean said with a smirk at Tom Ding, "so you mean, compared to that, if we die outside, then we don't have to pay a commission?"

Thomdine's face froze, and he stopped talking.

Eventually, he raised his finger and stared at Dean, his eyes full of unease and anxiety — and a little-hidden anger and indignation.

"It's also about your reputation, Dante's greatsword!"

The caravan owner seemed to be unable to control his temper anymore, and was a little angry: "What kind of mercenary is this, and what kind of bodyguard is this?"

"I asked you to go out in a low voice, pay generously, and provide good food and drink, and I didn't even say anything about you picking up garbage halfway, wasting resources, and burdening the caravan......"

The garbage he picked up halfway through - Tails raised an eyebrow and hung his head.

Said to be a good gentleman.

What about "shouldering responsibilities and having a warm pillow"?

"And you received a deposit, what you are best at is picking a child halfway and betraying your employer?"

"The whole Bladefang Dune will know!"

As soon as these words came out, the expressions of the mercenaries changed.

"I'll tell you, I was going to compliment you in front of Baron Williams after this trip, and try to lower your taxes and venue rentals, but now, shouldn't I go back and tell Your Excellency the Baron or the rest of your companions that you were scared by a few corpses and peed your pants, and you don't even have the most basic qualities—"

But Thomding was interrupted.

"In the desert, you should never question your guide and protector, fat man," McGee, who was sitting on the side, said coldly, the lines on his face slightly hideous, "You think of the desert too simply, believe me, you might as well think of the coffins of those who sleep in the desert forever - they are made of yellow sand, free." ”

Tomding was slightly stunned and subconsciously shrank back.

"Also, if you are really familiar with Baron Williams, Master Merchant, you are familiar enough to the extent that one sentence can determine our fate," the old hammer on the other side said lightly, "Why are you afraid to go back to the Blade Tooth Dune." ”

The fast rope, who had finally broken free from Kanze's clutches, sneered: "Or move out of the fact that your noble ancestor drank wine with the king, maybe it will surprise the baron and compensate you for your loss?"

Tomding was choked up and couldn't speak, just pointed at McGee and the old hammer: "You ......"

"All right, boys," the silent captain Louisa coughed, threw up her hands, and smiled like a peacemaker, "We don't have to be so stiff, I promise we'll have a good way to solve this, right?"

She smiled and looked at Dean and winked.

Finally, Dean sighed and touched his bald head.

"Alright then, then we're, well, let's find a compromise. ”

As if he had found a savior, Tom Ding looked at Louisa gratefully.

"Captain Dante, I knew you were reasonable......"

Luisa waved her hand.

"Twenty or thirty miles in a certain direction, we will come across a remote oasis stronghold that few people know about, and where a small tribe is stationed," Dean said softly, "we know their chieftain, and in fact we know each other well, and they should be moving to the neighborhood at this time." ”

McGee sneered.

"How about you trade some goods there, exchange them for some desert specialties, replenish water and food, sell at least some of the backlog, and then decide on the next step?"

Thomding was slightly stunned.

"Wait, the Bones tribe is nearby?"

Hearing this, Tails was taken aback, and the water bag in his hand trembled.

His surprise was the same as Tomding's.

The Bonesman?

A familiar face appeared in front of him, and the most impressive of them was the man's red eyes.

But Dean didn't let him continue: "If you're worried, Sepp, that tribe...... They know everything about their neighborhood, at least better than we do, and by asking them, we'll know what's going on right now—whether there's some horrible killer in the desert or the sand pirates are boring and cannibalizing each other, and then decide whether we should go on or ......"

Thomding waved his hands anxiously, "But that's the Bone Man! those man-eating bastards...... How do you know, and how can you guarantee ......"

McGee slowly stood up and walked in front of him.

"Because that's where I came from," the warrior with black lines on his face nodded lightly to Tomding's belly, "Don't worry." ”

McGee chewed his teeth, his gaze like an arrow:

"As a 'man-eating mongrel', I would tell them in advance: you can't eat it. ”

The owner of the caravan turned pale, took a step back in fright, and sat down on the ground.

Fast Rope smirked.

Tails froze.

The Bones.

The Bonesman?

He stared at McGee, especially the latter.

But it was a pair of normal brown eyes.

"Bone ......"

Tom Ding subconsciously looked at the other mercenaries, only to find that they were all looking at him with blank faces, and he couldn't help but shudder slightly.

"Nearby?"

"Now, you know why we come and go in the desert so freely," Dean sighed, "This is our biggest secret, sir, we have a boneless man as a guide." ”

Thomding shuddered again.

Louisa helped Thomding to his feet and smiled apologetically at him.

"So...... We're going to that tribe tomorrow......"

A smile instantly spread across Thomding's face.

"Ahem, I see!"

The owner of the caravan smiled, looking somewhat reluctant: "We will return tomorrow! Tomorrow, tomorrow!"

Before he could finish speaking, he crawled out of the camp like eight hungry wolves behind his ass.

Dante's greatswords laughed lightly.

Tails sat in the corner, silent.

"But we all know that there's no Bone Clan there," the old hammer shook his head helplessly, patting McGee as he sat down again, "And that's the supply point we're going to as planned, isn't it." ”

"That's right. Dean shrugged his shoulders and pouted at Tomding's back.

"But he doesn't know. ”

There was another burst of hearty laughter in the camp.

"The problem is solved, and there is no need to worry about searching for those corpses anymore. Seriously, there were a few exiles among those dead sand pirates, I even recognized them as people from the Brakeralon tribe, and some of them had at least twenty brake stripes on them—winning twenty battles, maybe even Extreme Ones," Dean sighed:

"It's hard to imagine what killed them. ”

Luisa smiled gently at him, "Don't worry about it, we'll be back tomorrow." ”

Tails cowered silently in the corner, looking at the group suspiciously, his gaze brushing over McGee from time to time.

Louisa noticed Tails' eyes.

"Don't mind, Waiya, and don't be too surprised, I know what you're thinking," Luisa said empathetically, "What kind of barren bones have green fangs, and they eat human flesh and the like......"

Everyone's eyes turned in unison, which suddenly made Tails feel very embarrassed.

The old hammer even began to laugh.

The female captain shook her head: "First of all, the so-called barren bone tribe does not exist, and we are not going to any tribe as a guest. ”

The fast rope showed big white teeth: "It's fun." ”

Tails twitched the corners of his mouth reluctantly.

He cleared his throat and felt like he had to say something, "Okay, of course, but you just said McKee, ......"

Luisa laughed, "That's right, McGee is a bone, do you see the lines on his face? That's the war paints, one of the proofs of the Boneless." Obviously, he doesn't eat people, and the bones don't ......."

"No, not all," McGee snorted, seemingly disdainful, with a grim gaze:

"It's just that my tribe doesn't eat people. ”

Tails was stunned again.

"you, McGee," the old hammer snorted, taking a bite of food:

"Every sentence is like a ghost story. ”

Tails still felt a little embarrassed, after all, he was in someone else's camp, but Louisa's smile made him feel a lot more comfortable, but Dean stared at him thoughtfully, which made the prince quite worried.

He turned to the fast rope.

"So, I've heard of ......"

"Oh, forget what you've heard," the old hammer sighed, swallowing his food, "mad, tyrannical, cannibalism...... People outside the desert always portray this place as - you know, some people don't bother to distinguish it, they can't tell it, so they hastily spread the word that the human beings who are forced or willing to live in the desert are collectively called the desolate people, and even the alien sand thieves and thugs. ”

Tails frowned at the hearing, and he was slightly stunned.

"Of course, I doubt any of them have ever seen a truly difficult and terrible kind of boneless. ”

The old hammer snorted lightly: "Even in the desert war, the real barren bones are not something you can see if you want to. ”

Dean spoke, his flat voice causing the group to slow down and listen to him.

"I know your confusion, Wya, and I know how the Bones are spread out there, but you don't have to be afraid—the Desert is huge, and the Bones are not a simple and clear race," the bald mercenary politely gestured to McGee, "Their history is probably not much shorter than that of the Desert, and their variety is not much less than that of the animals in the desert." ”

"Some tribes are wary of xenophobia, some are hospitable, some are cruel and warlike, some are friendly and peaceful, some are sparsely populated, and some are so powerful that they dare to wrestle with orcs, and even go to the border of the two great powers to see the scenery, they are very different, that's it. ”

Tails nodded knowingly.

"But I've heard that the Bones are all ...... All red eyes?"

At that moment, McGee looked up, his gaze cold.

"Red?"

In the face of the other party's unkind eyes, Tails's heart moved.

Did he say the wrong thing?

"That's what a lot of soldiers have heard," Dean laughed, "Obviously, they haven't met a real bone—or not much. ”

But this time, McGee interrupted him.

"No, the red-eyed Skeleton Man exists. ”

The Bones Man raised his head, the black lines on his face looming in the firelight, facing Tails, "Have you seen it?"

The tone is aggressive.

Tails scratched his head.

"I've seen ...... I've seen those who have heard of them," Tails snapped, "just like you." ”

McGee looked at Tails, his gaze lingering.

"Only a small percentage of the Bones have those eyes," he said slowly, and even the other mercenaries listened to him carefully, "They are the descendants of the Ancestors, and in your words, they are probably the nobles of the Bones. ”

The fast rope popped up again: "Are you sure it's not albinism?"

The old hammer slapped him from behind, causing the fast rope to scream.

"Descendants of the Ancestors?" Tails asked, ignoring the slapstick fastrope and confused.

McGee narrowed her eyes and answered his questions: "Red eyes...... It is said that they are the origin of the Arakumi people, the bloodline left by the first generation of the Arakumi people stationed in the desert, and they will be treated preferentially no matter which tribe they are in, and they are born to be sacrificed by the tribe. ”

So, Tails frowned slightly in his heart: the red-eyed secret officer, Raphael Lindbergh...... Is it the so-called "descendants of the first father"?

The origin of the Bones?

Fast Rope interjected at this point: "But what I heard is that those red eyes are proof that the Bone Men made a deal with the demons?"

McGee frowned.

"Demons?" Tails was startled again.

"Yes, I heard from the old sailor, those demons who live underground," said Quickrope, raising his hands and looking hideous, "Evil, terrifying, insidious, chaotic demons, who do not want to come to the earth all the time to cause trouble. ”

"Legend has it that the Bones are a race abandoned by the gods, so they made a deal with the enemies of the gods, the demons in hell, and became the earthly servants of the demons, and gained the power to stay in the land of death for a long time, and became the second most feared existence in the great desert after the orcs...... So, Why, Waiya, this world is very dangerous, as the so-called fate is impermanent, we must use appropriate methods to cherish our lives, so that life becomes worthwhile, such as ......"

Tails curled the corners of his mouth in embarrassment, he knew what the other party was going to say.

Thankfully, before the fastrope could continue, the old hammer slapped his words into his face and slammed them into the sand.

"Come on, the rumors stop at the wise. Almost all the barren bones, what they worship and believe in are obviously desert gods, and even built sacred altars, affecting a large number of outsiders, and they have nothing to do with demons, just ask McGee. The old hammer said silently.

McGee shrugged.

Fast Rope raised his head unconvinced and spat out a mouthful of sand: "How do you know?

"How do I know?"

The old hammer put down the food and smiled: "I didn't tell you, I am a Xingchen person, born in the Western Wilderness, in the Heroic Soul Castle. ”

"So, I did see it, and I saw quite a few of them. ”

Tails raised an eyebrow—he hadn't heard these familiar names of stars in a long time.

"When I was young, I was a soldier of the Falkenhauges family, and in the years of blood I was called up to guard the dunes of Bladetooth, and in the desert wars, I went into the desert with the king's army, and fought the Battle of the Altar—ho, it was a great battle," the old hammer said, "but from then on, I found that I could only wield a hammer, but I could not feed my family with the meagre bounty of farming and levy, and I wanted to go to the standing army of the royal family, and I heard that their salaries were higher." ”

Fast Rope blinked in surprise.

Tails also looked at her in a daze.

This bearded uncle...... It's actually a veteran of the stars......

"But as fate would have it, in the end, I still came to work as a mercenary. ”

The old hammer turned his head and smiled: "And then he became a brother with a barren bone." ”

"I don't know you well. McGee, who was beside him, replied coldly.

"Who said that!" the old hammer laughed, hugged McGee fiercely, strangled his neck with his elbow, and shook him back and forth: "I am the benefactor who saved your life!"

"Damn...... Let go!" McGee looked ugly, with an expression of eating stool, but he didn't get angry or have a seizure, just struggled desperately.

"But ah, he doesn't always save your life," Fastrope sighed, and spread his hands in a pretended helplessness, "so I suggest, McGee, you might as well save some money to the Tavernkeeper...... Whew......"

This time, without being reminded by anyone, Kanzer, a native of the Northland, pressed the head of the fast rope into the sand.

"I'm sorry," the leader of the team, Luisa, pressed her head helplessly, pretending not to see the mercenaries fighting, and smiled embarrassedly at Tails, "That's our daily routine - you know, they're usually too stressed. ”

Tails stared dumbfounded, at the amiable mass of mercenaries.

The atmosphere of this team suddenly made him feel very novel.

It was the most harmonious team he had ever seen: the beggars of the abandoned house trembled helplessly, the private soldiers of the Mindish Hall were cold obedience, the white-knuckle guards of Nicolai were full of brotherhood, and there was always an indescribable sense of alienation between Gilbert, Jodel, Geni and Putile.

To say the closest, huh...... Tails thought of Edda, Wya, and Rolf, and suddenly felt that they were getting along a lot like the people in front of him.

Fast Rope spat out the sand in his mouth for the second time and gritted his teeth: "Bah, I thought about it...... Uh, maybe, maybe the Desert God was originally a demon in hell?"

"Speak carefully," McGee, who had broken free from the old hammer's embrace, turned grim, "In the desert, many people died of heat and hunger, but many more died of lack of reverence and excessive arrogance. ”

Fast Rope winked at Tails and made a "Again" gesture.

The old hammer smiled: "Come on, fast rope, don't spread some hearsay rumors, a bard passing by the scouring road once swore to me: There is a dragon in the desert, nicknamed 'Warm Heart Girl'! Dragon, do you believe it? Those legendary things that deceive children are still 'warm-hearted'......"

The face of the fast rope changed.

"But dragons are not legends," Tails whispered into the discussion, "It is said that Exeter was founded by dragons, and the noble rulers of Dragons are proud of it. ”

"Yes!" Fastrope found his supporter, and his morale soared, and he swore an oath: "There are people from the north in the tavern, and I heard them say that five or six years ago, a giant dragon descended on Exeter, descended on Longxiao City, and fought against the legendary calamity......

Tails coughed lightly, looking down to concentrate on his water bag.

"Calamity, do you still believe this?" the old hammer laughed happily, "Are you sure you're not meeting the sacrifices of the Temple of the Night?"

"Ha, a group of drunken Northlanders, you know their virtues, pour a few cups of horse urine and start babbling, who knows if they see a dragon or a mammoth with wings, maybe just to cover up the death of the king, and make up some legends......"

"Hey!" This time, Kanze, the big man who had not spoken, raised his hand dissatisfiedly: "Don't forget that there are Northland people here!"

"Hammer, keep a little awe of things you don't understand," Dean, who sat on the sidelines, watched the small talk of his companions, and just smiled alone, like a father watching the children fight, "We are still in the desert, maybe we are unlucky, and we will meet that 'warm girl' tomorrow?"

"Then I'll her," Old Hammer shrugged, "My dream since childhood was to become a dragon knight!"

Luisa sneered contemptuously, "Until then, finish your food - Dragon Knight! And McGee, and you, fast rope, don't think that a rookie can be lazy, and go outside to work with Breeze, Firefire, Haakon, Ponga, and them!"

"Hey, what about Dean? he's going to take shifts too!" Fastrope raised his hand in protest, "Why don't you just rush him?"

Dean shrugged.

Luisa smiled mysteriously.

Looking at the captain's smile, Fast Rope felt a little panicked in his heart.

"As for Dean, he's been working hard today, both to look around and to negotiate," Luisa said softly, "So, dear fast rope, you sleep a little less today, and it's his turn." ”

The mercenaries laughed, and the camp was filled with cheerful air.

Tails took a bite of his food and watched their interaction silently, suddenly feeling a sense of serene comfort in his heart.

This is the mercenary.

Look...... Doesn't seem to be too bad?

Just then, he suddenly noticed a pair of eyes falling on him, and Tails thought it was McGee, who was rather unkind to him, but he was wrong.

Not a barren bone.

It's Dean.

The bald-headed mercenary looked at him silently, looking at Tails as he was eating.

Dean's eyes slowly changed.

(End of chapter)