The corpses of the deceased were laid out in the middle of the village square in front of the statue of the Goddess of the Forest, Niya. The square was silent as the elderly shaman prayed for the souls of the deceased. The men and women watched the scene in silence.
Ever since centuries ago.
Suffering had become a part of life for the Senia people. Because they were powerless to resist, they could only choose to hide further into the forest. But life in the Dark Forest was not necessarily sweet. Cold, hunger, and the constant attacks of monsters brought about the shadow of death.
Everyone looked at the oldest among them, their elder. To the Senia people, being the oldest meant having a wealth of experience, as well as being a natural leader. In times of hardship, the Elder was always able to lead the people out of their predicament. But this time, even the wise Elder's eyebrows drooped as if he was powerless.
The old man gripped his walking stick tightly. Every wrinkle on his face seemed to be written with a heavy shadow. He sighed, and a dark-skinned middle-aged man with a short beard gritted his teeth and turned around to leave.
"Uncle Bolton, where are you going?"
A tall youth beside the old man called out to him.
The middle-aged man stopped and answered without turning his head: "I'm going to snatch Sifrid back —!"
"Calm down!" The youth persuaded: "Uncle Bolton, what can you do by yourself? Are you going to throw your life away?"
"I promised Sally … … Even if I'm going to throw my life away, I'm going!" The middle-aged man stubbornly replied.
But he also understood that it was only said out of anger. He could not help but turn around and clench his fists. Every muscle in his body was stretched taut.
"Bolton, calm down." The old man with the walking stick finally spoke. He sighed: "Sally is my daughter. Sifrid is also my granddaughter … … Once winter is over, we'll return to the forest. "
The middle-aged man turned around and looked at everyone with bloodshot eyes: "Then what about Sifrid and the others? Are we not going to avenge them?"
Everyone fell silent and lowered their heads.
The middle-aged man snorted coldly and turned around to leave. The old man sighed again as he looked at the middle-aged man's back. He knew that the middle-aged man would not really go out and cause trouble for the noble Knight. Every man in the tribe would not easily abandon the tribe.
This was their responsibility.
However, no matter what, Bolton's departure still made the crowd go silent. But what could they do? The strongest person in the village was the Silver ranked martial arts master. It was impossible for him to be a match for the terrifying baron.
However, the silence did not last for long. The ceremony had to continue. But at this moment, everyone saw a figure stumbling into the village.
It was Joel, who was on guard duty outside the village.
Everyone recognized the familiar figure. They couldn't help but feel nervous. Could it be that the vicious aristocratic Knight had returned?
But didn't they already take Sifrid away?
"What's wrong, Joel?" The old man was slightly taken aback, but he immediately asked. As the leader of this group of people, although he maintained a deliberate calm on the surface, his hands were actually tightly gripping the wooden staff in his hand.
"Sifrid … … Sifrid … …" Joel gasped for breath as he finally reached them. It was as if he had seen a ghost.
"Sifrid?" The old man froze for a moment before his expression changed. "What's wrong with her?"
"Sifrid was rescued … …"
"What?"
… …
The news that the little girl had been rescued quickly spread throughout the village in the remote forest.
But Brando was a little embarrassed by his current situation. He did not expect that his group would receive such a cold reception. [Even though I've never expected gratitude from anyone for anything, I'm still the one who brought Sifrid back to the village.]
However, none of them had expected that the gratitude they received was far less than the suspicion and fear they received in their eyes. As they rode through the village on horseback, they could feel the similar gazes everywhere.
The middle-aged man called Joel was the first to receive them. He led them to the largest house in the village and told them that the elder would be arriving soon. In the end, he gave them a fearful and complicated look before he closed the door and left.
The Grey Wolves Mercenaries were the first to lose their patience.
"Tsk, what kind of attitude is that!"
"That's right, we shouldn't have come here." Another person said.
However, they also knew that it was just empty talk because the young overlord had made it very clear that this was their destination. But they did not know why they had to come to such a remote place. They could not help but look at Brando in confusion.
Brando could only smile bitterly.
Amandina was also looking at him with a gloomy gaze.
"Less prejudice will make you feel more at ease." The young man had no choice but to answer.
"But they did escape during the war, my lord." The younger Wild Elf sister could not help but ask in a clear voice. She had been following Brando for a while now because she found that the young lord seemed to have the ability to deal with her endless questions.
Even her sister could not do it.
She could not help but ask questions even though she had been scolded by her sister many times in private. But just like now, she could not help but ask.
"Tia!" The older Wild Elf sister gritted her teeth. She could not wait to strangle her beloved sister to death. She was always causing trouble for her. Then she raised her head and looked at Brando carefully. Fortunately, the young man did not have the intention to make a fuss.
Amandina shook her head: "I don't care about this, my lord, but … …"
"Yes, I know. Reputation." Brando nodded.
"My lord, since you know … …"
But Brando shook his head again: "But you also know that I don't care about this."
"My lord!"
Brando shook his head.
But at this time, there was a sudden knock on the door. Everyone was startled. Immediately, a mercenary with one hand on his weapon carefully walked over to open the door.
The door opened, but there was no one outside.
"My lord?"
The mercenary who opened the door was slightly startled.
"What's wrong?"
The mercenary moved aside with a strange expression, revealing a basket of berries outside the door. These fruits were obviously freshly picked from the forest. There were even dew and leaves left on them from the forest in the morning.
Everyone was stunned, and then they looked at each other in silence.
Brando sighed in his heart. Even though there was still suspicion on his face, there was also gratitude. But the misunderstanding between the Erouine and the Senia was too deep. It was so deep that it was ingrained in their hearts.
"What should we do, my lord?" Sir Lord? "The mercenary asked.
"Put it away." Brando replied.
Even so, he could not help but look beyond the door and stop at the square outside. The current Green Village was indeed very different from his memories. The village that existed in his memories was overgrown with weeds and broken walls. Even though it had just experienced a terrible attack, there were traces of fighting and bloodstains everywhere.
But at least it still had the scent of a human.
He looked at the tall wooden statue of Nia in the middle of the village. The Senia's deity was carved in a lifelike manner. The heroic Goddess of the Forest wore a fur robe and carried a short bow. She raised a basket full of prey and fruits with both hands. In the culture of the mountain people, she symbolized the harvest of the hunt and the harvest of the crops.
His gaze shifted to the other side. In fact, the Senia still lived in conical huts made of stone and wood, and not in tents like the legends said. It was just that their culture had long been lost in the vast forest. The legendary 'Nightwalker' of the Senia was only a legend now.
But their relationship with the Druids was still as close as it was a few centuries ago.
When he thought of this, the mercenary had already closed the door. Even the mountain people who looked down on the Senia in the Grey Wolves Mercenaries could not help but fall silent and reconsider the relationship between the Senia and the Senia.
But this situation did not last long because there was another knock on the door.
But this time, it was not fresh fruits, but the person Brando had been waiting for.
An old man with a wooden staff in his hand. The youth immediately recognized him as an elder of the village, and he knew the customs of the Senia like the back of his hand. On the other side was a dark-skinned middle-aged man with Sifrid leaning against him. He must be the little girl's father.
"Guests from the outside, thank you very much."
Brendel did not have time to react, but the old man had already bowed deeply to them.
The youth frowned slightly and replied: "There's no need for that, it's just a matter of convenience." He paused for a moment and went straight to the point: "Besides, I also have a matter that I need your help with … …"
The old man and the middle-aged man beside him looked at each other and nodded: "Joel has already informed us of your request. It's not a problem for us. "
When Brendel heard this, he raised his head and looked at him. He knew that the old man was lying. It was dangerous to enter the Dark Forest at any time. Even a group of mercenaries like them had to be fully prepared. For ordinary people like them to enter the forest, especially in the depths of the forest, it was no different from sending them to their deaths.
However, this Senia elder was lying.
"Who are you going to send?" Brendel raised an eyebrow and asked.
"I'll go." The middle-aged man glanced at his daughter, then looked at them and answered resolutely.
"Pizos?" (Elven: Daddy?)
The little girl immediately raised her head and asked in surprise.
… (To be continued, if you want to know what will happen next, please go to www.qidian.com to read more chapters. Support the author, support the original reading!)
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