A broad, sparkling river flowed among the desolate plains and mountains. Glamorous ships or fully-loaded ships were sailing toward Calcate City. Whenever they passed a place where the current was too turbulent for them to sail in the opposite direction, many coolies would gather and pull them over by the ropes, shouting a chant.
In the wind that would've been cold even for normal people, those trackers were all naked, with steam popping up around their skin.
"If I hadn't left home to be a mercenary, I might've been one of them as a tracker on the Negrin River …" Katrina was listening to the familiar chant quietly when a slightly hoarse male voice suddenly echoed.
The river was the 'main artery' of the Schachran Empire and the mother river that had given birth to many prosperous cities. It originated from the snow mountains under the control of the Vladimir family in the Northwest Province and flowed all the way to the southeast, before it entered the Storm Strait at the border between the Schachran Empire and the northern coastline.
Katrina turned around and looked at the young man next to her. She smiled and said, "Everybody has a chance to change their fate. It's obvious that you are an expert who has defeated yourself, Yakov. If you don't travel with the determination to die and follow the waves forever, you will barely live past thirty-five years old like all the other trackers on the Negrin River."
Yakov was a mercenary with short blond hair. He was no more than thirty years old, but he had a full beard. He was tall and looked rough. He was nicknamed 'Brown Bear' by the mercenaries.
"Then, did you choose to become a mercenary with the same determination?" Yakov asked back with a smile.
Because the Schachran Empire was sparsely populated with magic creatures and bandits, it was dangerous to travel on a long journey, especially in the north. Therefore, it was very eye-catching for a beautiful girl to travel alone, unless she was as strong as a Knight. By the same logic, she would attract a lot of attention if she joined a business team without any companions.
In order not to be suspected by the clerics of the North Church and the noble Knight, Katrina prudently chose to pretend to be a mercenary. She forged the certificate of the Guild of Mercenaries and snuck into a team that escorted a business team to Calcate City. Yakov, on the other hand, was the leader of the team of mercenaries. He was a Knight who had activated the bloodline of frost giants on his own.
Katrina was affected by her teacher's habit, and the corner of her mouth twitched slightly. Just as she was about to answer, a clear female voice beat her to it and said, "Let me guess, Sister Katrina, are you trying to escape from your marriage? A beautiful girl like you must have been born in a noble family with good upbringing, and then some influential scum of the nobility took a fancy to you and forced you to be his wife. So in order to escape, you had no choice but to become a mercenary and leave? "
"Anna, you've heard too many stories from bards …" Katrina glared at the female archer in leather armor next to her in amusement.
Anna was a mercenary less than twenty years old. She had long blond hair, green eyes, and a pretty face. She was cheerful and lively, very much like Heidi. Therefore, Katrina felt like an old friend to her at first sight. Anna, on the other hand, was very curious about Katrina, who was tall, beautiful, and well-spoken. Having grown up with the stories of bards, she intuitively believed that Katrina must have had a 'complicated and moving' experience.
What she didn't know was that most of the mercenaries also had the same idea. Although Katrina was good at using a sword, was agile, and had the strength of a high-rank Knecht, and a few other female mercenaries were also as beautiful as her, she had a gentle temperament. Sometimes, when she was thinking about problems, there was an indescribable "aura of knowledge", which was basically unheard of among the mercenaries.
Yakov once secretly cooperated with an official sorcerer who was best known for his' knowledge ', but he did not have such a vibe either.
Anna chuckled. Looking at Calcate City that was getting closer and closer, she asked expectantly, "Sister Katrina, we will settle here with Boss Yakov. What about you? Will you leave? "
Yakov had activated his blood power in the previous adventure. He had returned for the conferment of his title. After the conferment, he would be given a manor nearby and a fief on the desolate plain. Those of his mercenaries who were willing to stay would be his Knight squires or butlers.
For most mercenaries, such an opportunity was something that they had struggled for a long time. Naturally, they accepted it without any hesitation. With the support of a noble, it wouldn't be as difficult for them to activate their blood power as for the mercenaries who had no foundation.
Hearing Anna's question, Yakov and the few mercenaries nearby all pricked their ears, as if they were waiting for Katrina's answer.
Katrina smiled and rubbed Anna's long blonde hair. "I've come to Calcate City for wealth. Maybe I'll get a satisfactory harvest in a few months. By then, I'll return to the place where I belong, where my family and friends are. It's a memory that I'll cherish to get to know you during this adventure. "
Below the forest and the desolate plain near Calcate City, a lot of resources and magic creatures were hidden. That was why so many business teams and so many mercenaries were active here.
Many adventurers came here because of this, hoping to find undiscovered gemstone mines, magical plants, and other things, hoping to become rich overnight. Most of them eventually left quietly in disappointment or lay in the depths of the forest or under the plains forever. But there were a few lucky ones who really got lucky, and they inspired generations of adventurers to come here.
The local specialties were also very useful for sorcerers' studies, spells, and alchemy. That was why the official sorcerer came here for an adventure, only to be involved in the demon worship incident and killed in Calcate City. If he hadn't come with his companions and the rest of them had returned to Allyn, the Congress wouldn't have noticed the disappearance of such a sorcerer at all, much less investigate it.
"Family … Friends …" Anna mumbled in a low voice and said gloomily, "Sister Katrina, before you leave Calcate City, you must visit me often."
Yakov said in a low voice, "Katrina, if you need any help, don't be shy. Just come to me. We're companions after all."
Katrina nodded. Seeing that the atmosphere was getting dull, she hurried to change the topic and asked Anna and the rest of them about Calcate City. She was less than ten when she left this place, and she only had a vague impression of it.
While they were talking, the business team approached the city gate under the protection of the mercenaries. At this moment, a team of cavalrymen charged out of the city. The horses were fast but in perfect order. It was obvious that they had been trained for a long time.
The cavalrymen were wearing black full-body armor, and the visors of their helmets had been lowered. They looked cold and cruel, as if they were from a battlefield where corpses were everywhere.
Their left arms were all painted with blood red emblems, in which a bloody bear was holding a head high in its left hand.
"Count Vladimir's Blood Bear Legion …" Yakov introduced them to Katrina in a low voice.
Katrina was actually no stranger to them. Although the Vladimir family's territory was the northwestern province, they had certain influence on the neighboring northern provinces, too. For example, Calcate City was the territory of the hereditary Count of the Vladimir family. The Count of Calcate was known as' Count of Calcate '. The blood bear emblem that symbolized strength and glory was the exclusive emblem of the heir of their branch.
Anna said enviously, "The Blood Bear Legion. It seems that they're going to welcome Viscount André!"
"Viscount André?" The name was too common and common. Katrina did not know much about him, although he sounded like the next Count of Calcate.
"Yes. Viscount André became an official Knight when he was twenty and a grand knight when he was twenty-five. Two months ago, he reached the peak of the grand knight level and was noticed by 'Niner', a legendary Knight, as his student! He will definitely be able to advance into a sky Knight and become the strongest Count of Calcate. " Anna said in a dreamy tone, as if she were discussing the prince in her mind or the hero in a bard's story.
Niner? 'Storm of Death' Niner? Katrina was more or less surprised. The level-one epic Knight was the current leader of the Fetado family and the de facto ruler of the northern province. Because of his advancement, San Ivansburg was considering promoting the Fetado family from marquis to duke. But wasn't the Fetado family at odds with the Vladimir family? Were they dissatisfied that they were meddling in the affairs of the northern province?
If Andre Vladimir did need a legendary knight as his teacher, the Vladimir family certainly had one. Although 'Ice Age' Tom Vladimir was old and no longer held the title of grand duke more than a hundred years ago, he was doubtlessly still alive and a legendary knight who had the potential to break into level three of legendary!
Was there some kind of secret behind this? Was the intelligence important to the Congress? Katrina thought to herself in confusion.
Seeing that she seemed shocked, Anna was even more envious and admiring. "To be a student of an epic Knight is a rare opportunity even for a sky Knight, not to mention a grand Knight. Viscount André must be extraordinary!"
"Don't talk about an epic Knight. I'm satisfied enough to have a sky Knight as my teacher. That can't happen without the grace of the Lord." Yakov sighed bitterly. Comparisons were odious.
The other mercenaries even said in self-mockery, "We're all willing to go to Mountain Paradise in advance if we can have a grand Knight — no, a real Knight as our teacher."
In such a discussion, they escorted the business team into the city and found a hotel to stay in.
When Yakov went to the city hall to report, Katrina took Anna to a nearby tavern.
As soon as she stepped in, the beautiful Katrina was immediately "welcomed" by the whistles of the mercenaries and adventurers. They kept making vulgar jokes.
Anna glared at them fiercely and pulled out her short sword. Katrina wasn't shy either. She held her long sword in front of her and looked around coldly.
On such an occasion, the weaker one was, the more likely they would be bullied.
As they expected, their toughness made the drunkards behave themselves, and they were able to reach the bar smoothly.
"Hi, Little Anna, welcome back. May I know who this beautiful girl is?" The owner of the tavern was a perverted middle-aged man.
Anna chuckled. "Uncle Gulf, do you want to be trampled by a brown bear? Right, has anything major happened in the past few months? "
"You must know the most important thing. Viscount André has become a student of 'Death Storm'. As for the minor thing, a demon worship incident happened in the noble district next door, and dozens of people were killed on the spot." Gulf stopped his perverted smile.
"Demon worship incident?" Anna asked curiously.
Katrina quietly heaved a sigh of relief. With a local mercenary as a companion, it was indeed much easier to inquire about things, and it would not arouse the suspicion of others. Otherwise, if a "foreigner" suddenly asked about this matter, it would definitely attract the attention of people with ulterior motives.
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