The next day, before dawn, around seven o 'clock in the morning, the mercenaries woke up and began to pack their things, preparing to depart.
Laing had already woken up. Leaning on his warhammer, he stood at the entrance of Teresa's tent, watching the mercenaries pack their things. He shook his head inwardly. The mercenaries had lost too many in yesterday's battle, and everyone was injured. Under such circumstances, Laing could not force them to march, their bodies would not be able to withstand it.
But he could not abandon the mercenaries and chase after Bernt himself.
Teresa's situation was very bad. The sorceress was just holding on. Everyone knew how fragile she was now. If the sorceress' magic was not depleted, the mercenaries would not dare to act rashly. But now, if someone in the mercenary group had bad intentions, Teresa might really be taken advantage of. Laing felt that the mercenaries were not completely trustworthy, at least not the Blood Axe mercenaries.
As long as there was enough profit, the mercenaries would betray everything.
So, he should leave the mercenaries and chase after the fallen Bernt with Teresa?
No, he could not. Bernt was a cunning demon hunter. If the fallen Bernt came back and fought him directly, the sorceress would be a burden. Laing would not only have to fight, but also protect her. Under such circumstances, Laing was not sure if he could defeat Bernt. Bernt had been famous for more than ten years and had killed countless monsters. He was a legendary demon hunter who was awarded the title of Master Demon Hunter by the Demon Hunter Association. Before he fell, Laing was not 100% sure that he could defeat him. Who knew how much stronger he had become after he joined the Chaos?
In the end, Teresa had too little combat experience. The sorceress did not allocate her magic properly, and did not consider the loyalty of the mercenaries. Perhaps in her eyes, the mercenaries were like servants who would bow down to the power of magic. But Laing did not think so. There were many sorceresses who were betrayed by their own guards and died tragically or were sold as slaves.
Marlin Castle was the largest "talent market" on the continent.
This was also the reason why Lady Aurora had entrusted Teresa to him for protection. The Sorceress with little combat experience really needed a strong and experienced close combat protection, and Laing was a very good choice.
She was a fast learner, wasn't she? Most Spell Casters were full of wisdom. They would make mistakes due to unfamiliarity, but they would not make mistakes due to stupidity.
It was no longer snowing today, but a cloudy day. The clouds in the sky were not thick, and one could faintly see the gray sky through the layers of clouds. The biting cold wind constantly blew past Laing's ears, and the knight's cloak fluttered behind him. With his height of 1.85 meters, heroic figure, and handsome face, he looked like a veteran general guarding the pass, ready to deal with the enemy at any time.
But in fact, I'm just keeping a lookout for a woman … Laing thought as he listened to the sounds of changing clothes in the tent.
It felt so lousy.
Leon now understood why so many Legend rank powerhouses weren't willing to travel together with the female spellcasters of the Marvel Blue Council. How could that be considered companions? This was clearly a nanny!
The little mercenary had already packed his things and was peeking around nearby. Laing knew what he wanted to do. The little mercenary wanted to find a chance to talk to the Goddess.
A slender hand wearing a white lace glove lifted the tent flap. "Good morning, Laing."
Teresa's beautiful face appeared in the cold wind. Her skin was as smooth as ice, and her moving silver eyes seemed to be able to speak. She was still wearing the navy blue mink coat from last night, but the pearl necklace in front of her chest had been replaced by a thin sapphire gold chain. Triangular golden earrings engraved with magic runes hung on both sides of her ears. Laing could feel magic waves from these accessories.
So rich. Laing had heard of the Garland Parliament's wealth and temper more than once. It was said that a lord of the Kingdom of Nords had personally gone to Teresa's mother, Aurora, for help because of the Orcs running amok in his territory.
That lord had been addicted to wine and women for a long time. He was weak and had a bad reputation. Aurora happened to be conducting an important experiment. In the end, the poor lord didn't even have time to speak before the great Magus Garland cast a teleportation spell and sent him to a large lake near Sky Castle. He sank into the lake and almost lost his life.
That was why strength was the most important thing for a person.
"Get ready to set off. Do you feel … better?" Laing noticed that Teresa's spirit was much better. He was about to ask when he noticed that her long legs were still trembling under the mink coat. He knew that she hadn't recovered yet. She just didn't want others to know. "I'll go get the horse. Please wait here for a moment."
Aurora's lips curled up. This man knew how to save her face. He was indeed different from those brutes who only knew how to fight and kill. Mother had made the right choice in choosing him as her companion.
Most female spellcasters were knowledgeable and had seen many things. This made them arrogant. It was only at this moment that Teresa finally understood and accepted Laing as her companion.
The group packed up and continued on their journey. Laing wasn't interested in the mercenaries' topics of drinking, eating, and seducing. He took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Olivier from the Empire. "Mr. Olivier, your attire … Hmm? It's quite fashionable. Is it a trend in the Empire recently? "
The merchant's attire today was very strange. This imperial merchant was wearing a helmet, a white fox fur coat, and a breastplate over the fox fur coat. There was nothing strange about him wearing heavy trousers and riding boots, but he also wore a leg guard over the riding boots, which looked neither fish nor fowl. It was quite funny.
"Oh, Mr. Laing. You have to understand that after experiencing such a thing, it's always better to add some protection." Olivier was a little embarrassed. However, the merchant's thick skin allowed him to recover quickly. "Life is more precious than anything else. If I die, my wife might be very happy. She can remarry with a large sum of money."
"But your lover will be very sad. And your son will be bullied by his adoptive father, right? They are like vines on a big tree like you. Once you fall, everything will be over. "Laing complained.
"Hahahahaha!" This time, whether it was the mercenaries or the merchant's guards, all burst into laughter. Even Boris, who was injured and unable to move, laughed wildly. After laughing, he even cried out in pain.
Only Teresa, who was riding on the horse, snorted. She thought that this person was quite familiar with these things. She couldn't help but smile. Banda, who was beside her, was stunned by her mature and beautiful appearance.
The female spellcasters were not as experienced as the knights when it came to adventures and actual combat. However, they were a hundred times better when it came to matters of the court and the upper class. Laing was young and unmarried. He didn't even have a maid or a lover. It was indeed unexpected that he knew so much about the upper class.
"Speaking of which, Mr. Olivier, you came from the Empire. Can you tell me what business you are doing in Nord?" Laing stroked his horse, which he named Pinecone.
"Ah, that. There's nothing to keep secret about. I came to Nord this time to trade commodities. We set off from Marineburg, loaded up with armor and food, and then came to Nord. After selling them, we bought a large number of gold and silver ores, animal hides, and magic crystals. I wanted to get some alchemical fire oil, but I didn't manage to get it."
"How much can we earn from this trip?" Laing asked.
"I estimate the profit to be about five to six hundred gold denars. But judging from the recent situation, we might earn a little more. Just like the war a while ago, I made a lot of money."
"Well, I heard that Brittany and the Empire had a war a while ago? In the end, the Empire won, and both sides signed a new treaty? " The group of people walked along the muddy road. Fortunately, it was the middle of winter and the temperature was very low. The road was frozen hard and there was no obstruction along the way. God knows how muddy the road would be when the snow melted in early May next year. It would be very difficult to pass through.
"Yes … but it's not as you think. The two sides of the war were not the Empire and the Brittany." Olivier coughed and began to talk about the war that broke out between the Empire and the Brittany two months ago.
The Empire was the largest and strongest human country in the world. About eighteen hundred years ago, during the Great Cataclysm, a human tribal leader named Charlemagne rose rapidly and eventually established the Empire. Under the witness of the gods, he was crowned as the only human emperor. He spent about two hundred years conquering the entire world. At that time, the Empire was vast, and its territory included the current continent. It was so powerful that all races knelt at its feet. It was the ruler of the entire world.
The current Empire was only a part of the Empire at that time.
The Empire defended against foreign enemies for nearly a thousand years until a few hundred years ago. The Empire, which was besieged by foreign enemies, finally gave up most of its land except for its core territory. The province of Brittany was one of them. When the Empire suddenly gave up this land, all the nobles and civilians fell into despair. At that time, the Brittany not only had to face the plundering of the Undead, the Barbarians, and other abandoned human factions, but also faced the Orc army in the East and the Green Skin army in the South. These armies not only wanted to plunder, but also to destroy everything in their sight.
A young baron named Arthur led his knights to fight alone against the external threat, but it was to no avail. Seeing that the people of Brittania were facing the crisis of destruction, Arthur was separated from his army after several battles and was seriously injured. In desperation, he came to the Fairy Lake where the gods lived in legends. He knelt down in front of the Fairy Lake and begged with tears streaming down his face. No matter what he had to offer, Arthur only hoped that he could save the people of this place and save this land that was abandoned by the Empire.
At first, he did not get any response. Arthur fell into complete despair, but the young baron did not give up. He gritted his teeth and decided to fight to the death in the battle tomorrow.
In the morning, a white light suddenly shot out from the Fairy Lake. A god called the Fairy of the Lake responded to his request. The Fairy of the Lake used the holy water in the Holy Grail to heal his injuries and gave him firm faith and eternal blessings. With the help of the Fairy of the Lake, Arthur regrouped his troops and raised the battle flag blessed by the Fairy of the Lake. In a battle where the ratio of soldiers was one to thirty, Arthur led his blessed knights to fight a bloody battle and won a great victory.
The victory of the Knight Lord was like a lighthouse in the darkness. The Brittany army was once again united. In the epic battle that followed, they won twelve battles in a row and completely destroyed all the enemies that came to invade the Brittany. The Knight King's Kingdom was thus established in Brittany.
Under the mediation of the Fairy of the Lake, the Knight King's Kingdom established diplomatic relations with the Empire on an equal footing. Since then, the relationship between the Brittany and the Empire had always been good. Although there were occasional wars between the Empire and the Empire, both sides respected the bottom line. They never killed captives, and even if they put down their weapons on the battlefield, they could guarantee that they would not die. This was because there were too many external threats. The Brittany and the Empire had a deep tacit understanding that they would not waste precious manpower and resources in internal conflicts.
"It's Marlinburg, Mr. Laing. The Emperor of the Empire had already tried to take back Marlinburg for the third time. However, Duke Marlinburg did not want to be outdone. Because the Empire violated the founding ceremony written by His Holiness Ludwig, the Brittany chose to side with Marlinburg. At that time, the Brittany's knight-errant rushed into the Empire's army without warning, and because of this, a full-scale war broke out." Oliver slowly explained the development of the situation. "The war lasted for a whole day. Fortunately, the Emperor and the Knight King were clear-headed. After a whole day of fighting, the Emperor and the Brittany only lost about three thousand men. In the end, the Emperor and the Brittany signed a new treaty and returned the captive nobles. The Emperor could only announce that he would give up part of the sovereignty and governance of Marlinburg."
"Marlinburg's annual income is almost one-fifth of the Empire's total income. It's normal that the Emperor covets this port city. If I'm not wrong, those knight-errant rushed into the Empire's army under Duke Marlinburg's instigation, right?" Laing asked curiously.
"Yes. After this failure, it seems that the current Knight King's prestige has fallen. I just don't know which duke will take over the position of Knight King." Oliver nodded. "It doesn't matter who will take over the position of Knight King. As long as the Lady of the Lake is there, Brittany's trade will not have too many problems."
Brittany's system was very interesting. The whole country submitted to the Lady of the Lake, or the Lady of the Lake. On the surface, the Knight King was the ruler, but the Lady of the Lake was the one who really ruled the country. After every Knight King retired or died in battle, the Lady of the Lake would gather all the dukes of the duchies to vote and discuss who would be the next Knight King.
The Lady of the Lake was not only famous for these things, but also for the fact that she personally established and regulated the "Eight Virtues of Knights". Her clergy included the "Eight Virtues of Knights" and the "Eight Virtues of Knights". Therefore, her faith was not only limited to Brittany. Many knights across the continent also worshipped the Lady of the Lake. For example, Laing would pray to her occasionally.
"By the way, can you tell me about the Empire? I heard that a few years ago, Andrea, the Kurfürst of Brescia led his army to wage war against the Red-Horned Orcs at the border of his territory, but unfortunately, he died in battle? "After thinking about the Knight of the Holy Grail, Laing asked about the Empire.
This time, Oliver did not answer immediately. The Empire merchant pondered for a while before speaking slowly. His tone was low and even a little sad.
"Yes, the war was lost. The Kurfürst died in battle, and the Orcs retreated to the forest before the Emperor arrived with his army. Several towns in Brescia were massacred, and no one survived. The Kurfürst's seal was also lost."
"The only legitimate daughter of the Kurfürst of Brescia was also lost in this turmoil. The direct bloodline of Bernardino was thus annihilated. The sacred sword 'Fire of the West', which symbolized the power of the Kurfürst of Brescia, was also lost. Now, only four of the twelve sacred swords from the founding of the Empire are still in the hands of the Empire."
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