While Natha was in a dilemma, Akasha, who was lying on the bed, was also tossing and turning.
The decorations in the room were simple, and the fire in the fireplace gradually dimmed. But the bedroom that should have been dark was now illuminated by a ray of light. Akasha raised the ring in her hand, and the soft light dispelled the darkness and dispelled the fear of the Holy Priest.
But at this moment, she looked at the ring with a somewhat complicated gaze.
The curse of "Whipping Punishment" had disappeared.
This matter was only confirmed tonight. When there was no more pain coming from her back, Akasha was stunned for a long time, and then she cried inexplicably …
She could feel that all this did not disappear naturally, but was inextricably linked to the ring in her hand. With this ring, the power of her divine arts had even increased a little, and from the day she wore it, the effect of the curse had been weakening day by day.
Today, when the damage to her body and spirit had come to an end, all that was left in her heart was the word "gratitude."
Although she had experienced a soul-stirring battle in the afternoon, Akasha did not feel too much panic or fear at this time … What she could recall in her mind was not the roaring gargoyles, nor was it the iron puppets waving their heavy weapons and striding towards her. When she closed her eyes, the clearest image in front of her was the tall and straight figure standing in front of her, relying on his body to block the sword and the hammer.
It had to be said that the "outlook on life" of a technological geek was very different from this world, and some "misunderstandings" caused by this were even more difficult to explain.
The truth was actually very simple: in Roddy's view, protecting Akasha was equivalent to winning half the battle. This was definitely the "consensus" of all the players, and it had even become a deep-rooted idea.
In Akasha's eyes, "hatred" and "strife" had always been the two words that touched her the most in her life experience, but the word "trust" had never been seen before. When she suddenly saw Roddy blocking the heavy sword and hammer for her, she only felt that the enemy's weapons were not attacking Roddy, but knocking on her heart.
What was the meaning of living?
Akasha had thought about it before, and at different times, she had come up with different answers. But at this moment, looking at the light on the ring in her hand, she felt that she had another layer of understanding.
*****
In the stable next to the drill ground, the warhorses were snorting after eating their fill. The figures of the sentries on duty could be vaguely seen under the illumination of the torches, while the scouts resting in the houses were snoring non-stop.
As an order, 'sleep' was also carried out by the scouts seriously. After a long period of fighting and training, these youths who used to be lazy and ignorant in Norland Village had completely changed. Now, no matter what battle they were going to face, there was no longer any "fear" that could bother them.
In a house not far away, the Wellington Knight raised his heavy lance and placed it on the wooden table. Beside him, Sodelor was silently spinning the grinding wheel. The sound of the blade and the grinding wheel rubbing against each other echoed dully in the silent night.
The heavy armor wasn't worn on his body but placed at the side in a semi-assembled state. Wellington's body was wrapped in bandages and he was drinking from a pot of warm ale.
Unlike the scouts who existed as' weapons', Sodelor and Wellington had their own considerations and thoughts for the upcoming battle, so they didn't choose to rest.
After a long silence, Wellington suddenly said, "This kind of battle doesn't look optimistic."
Sodelor raised his head and made a listening gesture.
"We don't know where the enemy is, how many there are, or how strong they are. Suddenly deciding to rush over, although there's the effect of surprise troops, how do we do it? "
In fact, he had these questions from the moment Rody decided to send out his troops.
Sodelor raised his long sword and observed the edge of the blade against the candlelight. Then he continued to polish it on the grinding wheel. With a sizzling sound, he replied, "I remember you taught me some time ago: In a war, the winner doesn't necessarily have the advantage in numbers, but it must be the one who grasps the initiative."
Wellington drank a mouthful of ale and turned his eyes to the darkness, "That's right, but Roddy's actions can't be considered as grasping the 'initiative'. It can only be called 'rash'."
"But I believe in him." Sodelor stopped polishing his sword, "And … you didn't refuse."
"I just didn't refuse Angmar." Wellington shook his head, "If Angmar needs me to die, I won't refuse to die on the way."
This ghost knight's words weren't impassioned, but it moved Sodelor.
"Since you believe in him, then I'll tell you something else." Wellington plugged the cork of the wine bag, "The swordsmanship and fighting skills I taught you before are actually not everything a knight should have. As a 'knight', the source of power isn't the so-called 'Battle Aura'. "
Wellington pointed to his chest, "For me, the power of a guardian knight comes from loyalty."
The night wind was still blowing, but Sodelor who was polishing his sword was lost in thought. In his opinion, everything that Wellington had taught him in the past month was not as important as this sentence.
"Don't think about anything else. I just think you have enough potential to go further, that's why I said that. And the most important thing is … you're willing to trust someone. "
Wellington drank the last of the ale, stood up, and held the quaint lance tightly. He waved it twice as if it was light, and the sound of the wind sweeping through the air was unprecedented.
"In fact, you and I don't have to consider much. Since you choose to trust, it's equivalent to making a judgment."
"Once you have made up your mind, you will become a true warrior —"
"Don't ask how strong the enemy is, just ask … where the enemy is!"
*****
Compared to the calm before the storm in Paer Town, the atmosphere in Kiger Town was no different from the past.
In the night when most of the residents were asleep, the Green Vine Tavern, where the mercenaries lived, was still as lively as usual.
The hall on the first floor was bustling with the chatter of various mercenaries. Although it was almost winter, there was no shortage of mercenaries that could earn them money. Even if they didn't have to go hunting in the forest, escorting merchant caravans, running errands, etc. Any one of these jobs was enough for them to earn enough money for their meals.
As a first-tier town in the Eiffta territory, there were mercenaries from all over the place. But at this time, most of the people in the Green Vine Tavern were local mercenaries, and the news they discussed was also about the recent events —
"I heard that there was a large group from the south, and after resting here for a day, they entered the Silent Forest?"
"It's called the Blood Shield Mercenary Group, and they are quite famous in the south. They do a lot of dirty work, and a few lords even put up wanted posters, but it's said that they don't dare to touch them."
"Such a big background? Why would they go to the forest at this time of the year? The Silent Forest is not a friendly place. If you're lucky, you can still survive if you meet the Wood Elves, but if you meet the tough ones, you won't be able to survive even if you have a few lives. "
"Look at you, as if you've seen the Wood Elves before!"
"Of course I have! I got lost the last time … "
Similar discussions could be heard everywhere, and among them, two people sitting in the corner were listening to these discussions with complicated expressions. They were Henry and Buffon, who walked out of the Silent Forest alive.
If it was in the past, Henry would definitely join the group of people bragging about seeing the Wood Elves, but now that he was sitting here, he didn't have the mood to brag at all.
"Buffon, do you think … if we just take all these things away, we won't have to be mercenaries for the rest of our lives?"
His face was no longer as pale as it was in the Silent Forest. After a few full meals and hot wine, his face was now red, but his tone was mixed with a sense of "pain."
"If we do this, it should be enough for a few decades of expenses."
Buffon was eating the steak in front of him with a fork, and there was already a small pile of plates beside him. His body was as thin as a stick, and he chewed hard for a long time, then added a sentence: "The point is that your conscience is still there, and the words he said before he left."
"Forget it, forget it, I was just saying."
Henry lowered his head as if he was deflated, and also used his fork to eat the food in front of him that he couldn't afford before.
Obviously, this conversation between the two was completely because they were shocked by Roddy's "generosity" …
Previously in Erza Village, although Henry could recognize that these herbs were relatively "rare" and of good quality, he didn't expect these herbs to be so popular!
In just two days, half of the herbs he took out to "test the water" caused a huge uproar in the Pharmacist Guild!
Henry was very business-minded. He didn't choose to directly sell them, but directly bid in the Pharmacist Guild to make potions, thinking that he could directly sell the finished products at a high price.
But when he saw that the Vice President was alarmed by these herbs and came out to discuss the purchase, he made a prompt decision and directly talked with the other party about the conditions: the potion made from the herbs would be split in half, but the Pharmacist Guild would have to pay Henry a high fee, called "herb collection fee".
Such harsh conditions were originally used to argue, but who would have thought that the other party would directly agree after considering for an afternoon. As a result, Henry didn't even have the time to prepare the speech he had prepared, and he was dumbfounded as he returned to the hotel with a box of silver coins …
This was a real silver coin! Moreover, they were high-quality silver from the Niles Vein, and one silver coin could even be worth two Buster silver coins mixed with impurities in the south!
This box of silver coins was really an astronomical figure for Henry and Buffon. Perhaps they wouldn't be able to earn so much money even if they worked as mercenaries for a lifetime.
And what made Henry most "painful" was that when Roddy separated from them, he simply mentioned about the "payment" — "After all the herbs are sold, the two of you can take 10% of the silver coins for your own use, and it will be the same in the future."
10%! 10% of 480 silver coins was 48 silver coins!
One must know that the previous year's best harvest of the "Iron Horse Mercenary Group" was only 97 silver coins, and each of them could at most get 10 silver coins, and they would be so happy that they would cry tears of joy …
A simple task, and the salary was equivalent to two or three years of harvest. This kind of thing sounded like a dream, but looking at the fragrant food in front of him and touching the few bottles of potion that were enshrouded in magic power, Henry knew that he had really met a strong person …
His strength was abnormal, he had a good relationship with the Wood Elves, and he was also preparing to open a trade route — Buffon was too lazy to think about the twists and turns, but Henry was very clear: if the trade route was really opened, the speed at which he and Buffon could earn money would definitely be even more exaggerated than mining!
The thought of taking these 480 silver coins for himself was just a flash. Not to mention the problem of conscience, just in terms of "benefits", Henry would absolutely not do such a stupid thing!
"This Sir Roddy really has us in his grasp …"
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