"This damned weather. It's only been six months, and it's already so hot. Who will be able to endure it any longer …" Carmen complained weakly. His body was drenched in sweat, and the iron spear was used as a walking stick by him. His helmet had long been hung on his back. At this moment, he wished he could take off all the iron armor he was wearing.
"The scouts in front haven't found any water yet? I'm dying of thirst! Carmen, give me some of your water pouch … "Beirut stuck the spear in his hand under the tree and laid down in the shade. He was in an even worse state than Carmen. He panted heavily like a fish that had landed on the shore.
"No, it's your fault for drinking non-stop. Don't forget that I poured half of the water in my water pouch into your water pouch, and you drank it all. If we can't find a water source in front of us, my water pouch won't even be enough for me to drink, "Carmen refused immediately.
"Carmen, don't forget that we grew up together. I was always the one who helped you when you were in trouble, and I was the one who helped you when you fought with others. Isn't our friendship worth a few mouthfuls of water?" Beirut said angrily.
"Alright, alright, aren't you annoying to say this every time? Don't you think about when you've helped me win a fight? In the end, I'm still the one getting beaten up together with you. I've always thought that if you weren't in the fight, I might get beaten up a little lighter. When people see that you're a big guy, they tend to hit harder, causing me to suffer along with you … Here, drink two more mouthfuls. Open your mouth." Carmen carefully poured two mouthfuls of water into Beirut's mouth.
With the nourishment of these two mouthfuls of water, Beirut was clearly more energetic. He sat up after lying down for a while, and leaned against the tree with Carmen. They watched as the Freedom Alliance soldiers, who were similarly equipped, trudged through the rugged mountain path with their tongues out.
"I always thought that we would wear our armor and charge bravely into the enemy's battle formation with our spears. This is our mission as a Freedom Alliance soldier. But who would have thought that apart from marching in circles in the mountains every day, we don't have to do anything else, and the enemy would be blasted away by the cannons of the Norton Family. We're just like those garbage cleaners, wiping their ass every day … "Beirut said.
"Blockhead, if you want to die, don't drag others down with you. Don't think that you'll become a hero just because you're the vanguard. You're the fastest to die on the battlefield. Also, why did the two of you run so fast? I thought something happened to you. "The one who said this was a middle-aged man with a face full of beard.
"Uncle Goode …" Carmen and Beirut immediately stood up. This is the captain of their 100-man team, Goode. He's close to fifty years old, an experienced mercenary with a 2-star Silver rank. After the Trade Alliance abolished the Mercenary Union, he no longer worked. Now that the Freedom Alliance was reorganizing its armed forces, he was invited by a friend to join the army and become a centurion.
"Move aside. Let me take a break." ... "Carmen: Two," Path "Be," good, "Two,": "Old," Two, "" "": "I", ":) You,": "" to "(": ":" ("(" ())) "(" ())) "," () "" () "to)" () "()" "(" ("" ")" "" "", "," "" "".
Carmen and Beirut moved to the side, leaving the middle spot under the tree for Captain Good.
"Come, Uncle Good, sit here. It's cool here, and the mountain breeze will blow from time to time. It's very comfortable." Carmen tried to flatter him. "Uncle Good, did you come here to look for us?"
"Of course, who else should I look for if not the two of you? You should know that your parents begged us to take good care of the two of you when we set off for the war. Who asked us to be neighbors with your families? I've watched the two of you grow up from a young age, and now you've grown up into two handsome young men."
Uncle Good took out his water pouch and gulped down a few mouthfuls of water. Beirut swallowed his saliva as he watched from the side. However, he didn't dare to ask Uncle Good for water, and could only stare at him. After Uncle Good finished drinking, he tossed the water pouch to Beirut. Beirut was overjoyed. He raised the water pouch and gulped down mouthfuls of water.
"Tell me, what's wrong with the two of you? You suddenly sped up and left our team behind. You pulled away from us by almost an hour. What are you trying to do? If you don't have a good reason, everyone will be whipped ten times when we return … "Uncle Good asked sternly.
"Uncle Good, Beirut forgot to fill his water pouch when we set off in the morning. The weather is hot, so he drank all the water left from yesterday and half of my water pouch. He's still thirsty. So we wanted to walk faster to the water source in front of us. However, we didn't see the water source sign marked by the scouts after walking for so long. We just wanted to replenish our water, "Carmen quickly explained.
"Blockhead, why didn't you ask me when you ran out of water?" Uncle Good gave Beirut and Carmen a knock on the head. "I've walked this mountain path before. There's only a water source at night. However, with our current marching speed, we don't know if we can make it to the campsite by night. However, I was prepared when we set off in the morning. I filled two large wooden buckets of water and tied them to the donkeys at the back. It's enough for our 100-man team to drink. If you had told me earlier, you two wouldn't have made me so worried. I thought you two were eager to make a contribution and wanted to take the risk at the front … "
"Then what do we do now? Do we go back?" Beirut finally put down his water pouch.
"Let's rest here," Uncle Good said. "They'll come here anyway. We can even take a nap here …"
The sound of cannons rumbling in the distance was like thunder. The three of them fell silent. After a long while, Carmen finally said, "Uncle Good, are those cannons really that powerful? The castle we camped at two days ago was almost blasted into ruins …"
"What I don't understand is, since the Norton Family's cannons are so powerful, why do they have to send the Freedom Alliance's armed forces to attack their target? We can't do much anyway, so what's the point of marching around every day like this?" Beirut, who was beside him, said in a low voice, "What I don't understand is that since the Norton Family's cannons are so powerful, just the Norton Family's armed forces alone can take down their target. We might as well stay in Morent City and train every day … "
Uncle Good laughed. "Silly boys, this is to let you experience what a battlefield is and familiarize you with actual combat. It's much more useful than training. Don't think that we're marching around every day. That's because the Norton Family's armed guards have taken care of all the attacking missions. After they've swept through the enemy's defensive facilities and castles in the hilly area, they'll leave behind some slightly weaker enemies for us to practice on. This is to train you rookies. "
"But I think it's because they look down on us. It's like they're giving us charity." Beirut complained. "Actually, what's so great about them compared to us? Isn't it just an extra cannon? If it's one on one, I guarantee I can take down four or five of them. "
Uncle Good gave Beirut another knock on his head. "What nonsense are you spouting, silly boy. Don't think that you and Carmen are already Iron Three-Star at the age of 23. You might have an advantage if it's one on one, but if it's one on two or one on three, I guarantee that you'll die very quickly. The army isn't a battle between mercenaries, nor is it a place for individuals to show off their bravery. The Norton Family's elite forces are in their discipline and battle formations. They have great teamwork and are unafraid of death. Even without the cannons, our Freedom Alliance's armed forces are not their match. Don't forget that so many of the Trade Alliance's armed forces were defeated by them … "
"But Uncle Good, didn't Captain Hathke of the First Division say that we shouldn't follow the Norton Family's armed forces to attack the Trade Alliance? He said that our Freedom Alliance was born from the Trade Alliance and that we are against the feudal system of the territorial aristocracy. We should refuse to stand with the Norton Family, because the Norton Family has no freedom, equality, or independence. They are the representatives of a barbaric and backward feudal system. We should form an alliance with the Trade Alliance and chase the Norton Family's armed forces out of the Mana Hill Plains and Moronte City. That way, the Freedom Alliance will truly have freedom, "Carmen said to Uncle Good.
Uncle Good flew into a rage. "Didn't I tell you not to listen to that idiot Hathke? That guy is sick in the head. The Norton Family is a feudal system. Don't tell me that the Trade Alliance's feudal system is also a feudal system? Don't tell me the two of you have forgotten the hard times three years ago? You two caught rats in the sewers every day and ate them!
Use your brains and think, why is it that when the Trade Alliance recruited many times in Moronte City, your parents refused to let you join the Trade Alliance's armed forces. On the contrary, when the Freedom Alliance was established last year, your parents allowed you to join the army. Even an old man like me, who is almost 50 years old, was willing to find a job in the Freedom Alliance's armed forces and become a centurion. It's very simple. Because we joined the army to protect our Freedom Alliance. This is our Moronte City's own Alliance, not the Trade Alliance controlled by the Trade Alliance that treats us as slaves and cannon fodder!
I am an old mercenary, and I have been in Moronte City for more than 30 years. I have seen through it long ago. Don't be fooled by the fact that we, the people of Morrent City, proudly proclaim ourselves to be free citizens of Morrent City. However, to those big merchant associations, we're just another form of slaves. It's just that our heads don't indicate who our lord is. Think about the three years of living under the ration system. Is that what free people have? What we eat and how much we eat is given to us, and we have to work hard for more than 12 hours a day just to eat. That is really freedom. We can choose not to work, and then our families will starve to death.
Don't listen to that idiot Hathke. Think about it. Without the Norton Family's armed forces, you two would still be catching rats in the sewers. Why should we chase away the Norton Family's armed forces? Did they steal our food or drink? No, not only did they not offend the residents of Moronte City, they even gave us free food and brought us countless goods and goods. They even gave the Freedom Alliance a huge loan. Finally, Moronte City became lively again, and it returned to its former glory as the top trade city on the continent 20 years ago.
People should learn to be grateful, and they should learn to be tolerant. Even if the Norton Family is a feudal lord, they have given the people of Moronte a new lease of life. Without their liberation, we would still be working as slaves for the Trade Alliance. Why should we hate them? Is it because their system is different from ours? The Norton Family did not treat Moronte City as their own territory. They did not plunder us, and instead protected us from the threat of the Trade Alliance. Instead of supporting them, we have to chase them away. Is that what a human should do?
Only an idiot like Hathke would say something like allying with the Trade Alliance. I am sure that if we do as he says, we will definitely be the unluckiest ones. The Trade Alliance treats the Freedom Alliance as rebels. If they return to Moronte City, what awaits those of us who work for the Freedom Alliance is confiscation and imprisonment. At best, we will be sent to the mines and plantations until we die of exhaustion. Moreover, our families will also be implicated by us.
No, how did an idiot like Hathke sneak into our army? Is he harboring some evil intentions? Carmen, Beirut, tell me, when did Hathke say these things in front of you? What else did he say? At that time, was there anyone else besides the two of you that he mentioned? "
Seeing Uncle Good's anxious expression, Carmen and Beirut panicked.
"It can't be that serious, right, Uncle Good?" Carmen muttered, "It was the night before yesterday, when Beirut and I were on duty at the camp gates. There was a patrol team led by Carter, and everyone was complaining about the difficulty of marching. Then, Captain Hathke passed by and said these things to us. He also said many things that mocked the Norton Family. He said how stupid the feudal lord was to be teased by his subjects. We only treated it as entertainment and did not take it to heart …"
"Uncle Good, you're making a big deal out of nothing. What evil intentions does Captain Hathke have? He's just outspoken and never thinks before speaking. Didn't you say that about him a long time ago?" Beirut also spoke up, "His parents died in the last battle against the Crisen Empire. He was raised by his grandparents, so he has always hated the empires in the north. When he grew up, he became a Silver teacher at Saint Mark's Academy. After the academy closed down, he could only do odd jobs in the city to support his wife and children.
After that, the Trade Alliance recruited soldiers in the city. He signed up and fought against the Andinac Kingdom in the Mana Hill Plains for two years. He was lucky enough to survive. After that, the Norton Family's armed forces occupied Moronte City. He was ordered to join the counterattack, but in the end, he surrendered to the Norton Family and became a captive. In the end, the Norton Family's armed forces forced him into the city defense team. Now, he has been reorganized and transferred to the army as a centurion like you. Everyone knows about his past and that he hates northerners. The Norton Family is no exception. Besides, Captain Hathke is just saying it. He doesn't have the guts to go against the Norton Family. "
Uncle Good sighed, "Forget it, I won't say more. In any case, don't mix around with Hathke in the future. If he continues like this, he'll be in trouble soon. Stay away from him so that you don't get dragged down by him. The Norton Family's armed forces and Duke Norton are not people that he can mock. Actually, many of the Norton Family's famous high-ranking people came from Moronte City. This is also why the Norton Family is so friendly to the people of Moronte City. "
"No way, Uncle Good, do you know the Norton Family that well? Tell us about it, "Carmen asked curiously.
"No, I don't know much about the Norton Family. I only know Duke Norton, the new Sword Saint. When I met him, he was just like you, a low-level Iron Three-Star mercenary. At that time, Duke Norton was not even twenty years old. He was studying at Dawn Academy. Because of the civil war between the three kings in the northern Christen Empire, he lost contact with his family. He could only become a Black Iron Mercenary to earn his school fees. Look, the backpack you're wearing now was designed by Duke Norton. I was his first customer back then … "
A large group of people waved at the three of them from afar. Uncle Good stood up and said, "Let's go. Our team is here. After resting for so long, it's time to return. We still have to rush to the campsite at night, or else we'll have to sleep in the wilderness. When I have time, I'll tell you about the legend of Duke Norton. Back then, he was known as the Black Iron Locke, the invincible Silver Knight … "
…
You've already exceeded your reading limit for today. If you want to read more, please log in.
Login
Select text and click 'Report' to let us know about any bad translation.
