"You all know that wandering knights also need money, and they need it even more than you." Ike stuttered, but he slowly overcame his shame and fear. The expression on his face gradually relaxed, and he sighed deeply. "That's why we sometimes do things that can't be seen. For example, we ask for food from passing villagers or caravans, or we attack bandits to steal their spoils of war. Sometimes, some people become bandits …"
"Very good. So, the reason why Goodson asked you to come with him was because these wandering knights wanted the Sea Heart Stone?" Clayon nodded, and continued to ask.
"That's right. Goodson and the others need a sum of money because … we don't have much money on hand. The Winter Veil Festival is coming soon, and we won't be able to get any work soon. So Goodson and the others plan to …" Ike didn't continue, but Ryan and Alfreid knew what happened next.
The wandering Knights planned to steal the Sea Heart Stone at night!
"So you didn't join their plan?" Laing raised his eyebrows and asked suspiciously.
Ike raised his family crest. "The honor of the Albrecht family cannot be tarnished. They can hide their family crest and give themselves a fake name, but I can't. Ever since I became a wandering knight, I swore to never abandon my real name, never abandon my family name. I am Ike Albrecht, and I will use my life to support my name. I can die, but I will never do anything that will bring shame to my family!" Ike's eyes flashed as he said this.
The faith that burst forth from the wandering knight moved the two of them.
"So you didn't join them. But they decided to do it themselves. That's why they put on their armor in the middle of the night. "Laing nodded. The wandering Knights didn't expect the Orcs to launch a surprise attack.
In that case, everything made sense.
"So, under such circumstances, you're still willing to ask Leon for help for that despicable wandering knight?" Alfred was a little confused, but the paladin had already put down his hand that was holding the hilt of his sword.
"Goodson … has some difficulties in life. He owes a sum of money to the Dwarves, and the Dwarves have been chasing him for money. He's muddle-headed … he's a good person. What I mean is, he saved my life." Ike couldn't clear his name.
"That's not a reason for him to rob!" Laing raised his voice, and the White Wolf Knight nodded and said, "Since you're telling the truth, I'll bring you to see Madam Dietlind. But you'll have to decide what to tell her."
"Good! Thank you very much! "Ike's back was sweating, and his throat was dry. He quickly bowed.
The three of them walked up together. Laing had a better impression of Ike.
This young wandering knight might be greedy and greedy for fame and fortune, but there was also something special about him. He had a moral bottom line in his heart, and he was willing to put down his pride and even set up a trap to deceive Ike for the sake of his companions. Ike could not be said to be a useless person.
It went without saying how important reputation was to a wandering knight. From Ike's point of view, he had a good reason to do so at that time. Taking advantage of the situation was the best decision he had made based on his political wisdom. And the reality was just as he wished — Leon helped him and successfully defeated the bear spirit.
But the final result was not what he expected. Laing refused to chase after the Bear Spirit, which made Ike's plan go down the drain. It was not surprising that Ike was angry. If Laing was in Ike's shoes, he might not be smarter than Ike.
After many years of traveling, and with his father's knowledge, Ryan knew that humans were complex animals. This kind of animal couldn't be simply classified as good or bad. It couldn't be said that a person was definitely good or bad just because they were this or that.
Literati always liked to draw conclusions. Everything in the world was either white or black.
They were wrong. The world was grey.
Shaking his head, Laing led Alf, Frey, and Ike to the corridor on the third floor. He knocked on the door and said, "Madam Dietlind? Teresa? "
"Coming! Laing? "Teresa's voice came from the room, followed by the sound of high heels clicking on the floor.
After confirming that it was Laing standing at the door, the door opened.
Teresa was wearing a white woolen sweater. Her voluptuous breasts pushed the sweater up, forming a perfect curve. Her black hair fell over her shoulders like silk. Her collar was slightly open, and the female sorceress' snow-white skin was fully exposed.
A thin belt was wrapped around her slim waist. Theresa was wearing a knee-length skirt today, which showed off her tall and slender figure. Below the skirt were her long and slender legs wrapped in black stockings. She wore a pair of black stilettos with shallow necklaces.
"You're here? You're so early … "The female sorceress's eyes flashed when she saw Laing standing at the door. But she immediately noticed the paladins and wandering knights standing behind Laing.
The light in her eyes faded immediately. Teresa raised her chin and closed her collar. Her tone immediately changed from cheerful to angry. "I don't remember inviting anyone other than you, Mr. White Wolf Knight."
Laing's eyes swept across the female sorceress's beautiful legs and feet. He shrugged and said, "Well, I have something to talk to Madam Dietlind. Ike's wandering knight friend has tetanus and needs treatment."
"…" Teresa really wanted to slam the door on Laing's face. This guy! Didn't he see the occasion and the time?
Was the life and death of a wandering knight more important than the dinner she had prepared?
However, after traveling for so long, the sorceress knew how to prioritize things. She also knew that Laing hated people who were unreasonable, so she still shouted, "Sister Dietlind? Laing has something to talk to you about. "
Seeing that the three men could only stand at the door like idiots, Teresa's gaze moved from Laing's face to his injured shoulder. Thinking that the man was still injured, the sorceress's dissatisfaction gradually disappeared. She gestured for the three men to come in and sit for a while. "For Laing's sake, come in and have a seat."
Dietlind soon came out. Ike politely asked for a bottle of healing potion.
"I have healing potions here. Since Laing brought you here, I'll give you 85 gold coins per bottle." Dietlind nodded. "Do you want to pay in gold denars or gold marks? Or gold crowns? "
Gold denars were the gold coins of the Nords Kingdom, gold marks were the gold coins of the Empire, and gold crowns were the gold coins of the Brittany. The exchange rate of the three gold coins was basically the same, which was 1: 1. It would only fluctuate slightly during wartime.
Even though Ike was mentally prepared, he was still shocked when he heard the price of 85 gold coins. The wandering knight took out a bag, and Dietrinda shook her head. "It's not enough. It's too little. There are only 40 gold coins in there at most."
"Can I pay the rest in installments?" Ike asked hesitantly.
"Yes, but you'll need a guarantor or something as collateral." Dietlind nodded. Paying on credit was not a rare thing. Sometimes, big nobles would even pay on credit. The Spellcaster Council's wealth was obvious.
"Do you think this is enough as collateral?" Ike took out a few gold coins from his bag.
This gold coin was neither a gold coin of a god nor a normal gold coin of an empire. One side of the coin was engraved with a maple leaf, and the other side was engraved with the head of an elf. The size of this gold coin was much larger than that of a human gold coin.
"High elf Sofrin?!" Dietlind cried out. "Where did you get it?"
"That's not important. What's important is, can I use it as collateral?" Ike clearly did not want to talk about it in detail.
"Of course! You don't need to use it as collateral. You can use it to make a deal with me. " Dietlind was no longer worried about Ike not being able to pay. One high elf Sofrin gold coin could be exchanged for 25 Empire gold marks at the Empire's exchange.
Laing thought that the money probably came from a shady source, but it had nothing to do with him. Dietlind and Ike successfully completed the deal. Ike took the healing potions and left in a hurry.
"It's finally over. Ah Fu, find a place to sit. Let's eat together later. I want to talk to you about recent events." Laing found a place to sit down. He wanted to ask Al Frey to stay for dinner, but the paladin immediately felt the female sorceress's unfriendly gaze. He quickly said goodbye. "No need. I'm going back to the hall to eat with my brothers."
With that, Al Frey quickly ran away.
"… Looks like something is roasting his butt." Laing saw his childhood playmate running away so quickly. He then turned his attention to Teresa's suite.
The decorations in the room were really luxurious. There was a thick carpet, a wide screen, and all kinds of wooden furniture. There were also soft sofas and beautiful patterns. A large number of thick candles were placed on the crystal chandelier to illuminate the room. Tapestries and oil paintings decorated the walls. Seeing that Al Frey had left, Teresa pulled away the blanket wrapped around her legs and loosened her originally tight collar a little. She crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Laing?"
"What's wrong?" Laing was still looking around. His room was not so luxurious, but the White Wolf Knight was not particular about this.
Teresa crossed her legs and hooked her high heels with the tips of her toes. The black heels swayed on the woman's beautiful black silk feet. "Laing, please remember that if I don't mean to invite you over, I'm inviting you over alone. Please don't bring unrelated people, okay? It's not that I don't like your friends, but you know, it's hard for us spellcasters to communicate with these paladins. "
"Okay, okay, I got it. Are you feeling better?" Laing naturally sat beside Teresa.
"Yes, sister Ditinda made some potions for me, and then I rested for a day. I'm fine now." The sorceress saw that the man cared about her and felt a burst of warmth in her heart. Her tone was much gentler. "But you, you're badly injured. Do you want sister Ditinda to take a look at you?"
Ditinda put away the gold coins and sat opposite the two, listening to them talk.
"I'm fine. I'm almost healed. I'll be fine after a night's sleep." Laing shook his head.
"It's only been two days? You're almost healed? Are you a monster? " Teresa's mouth was wide open. She was quite surprised. "I've never heard of any other White Wolf Knight as strong as you."
"Can other White Wolf Knights fight a four-armed bull demon alone?" Laing leaned back on the soft sofa with his hands on his head, letting his body sink into the sofa. "It's a surprise to meet Alfred Frey here. The last time I saw him was three years ago. Three years later, he's become a paladin who can take charge of a city. I still remember when he was a child, he shyly confessed to the adult maid of Lord Stone's house next door with snot running down his nose."
Alfred Frey, who was eating downstairs, sneezed.
"Hahahahaha!" The two Garlan councilwomen laughed.
"By the way, can this town go out to sea?" After joking for a while, Laing quickly got down to business.
"Sure. Although the port here has also been affected by the war and sea monsters, reducing the number of ships going out to sea, Count Albert Becker did not forbid going out to sea. The next passenger ship to Marlin Castle will depart in five days. I've already booked the tickets for you." Theresa took out two tickets from behind her, and handed them to Ryan. "Do you want to take them?"
The two tickets had the fragrance of lavender. Laing waved his hand. "Take it. Just remember it."
They chatted for a while. Laing's humor made the two councilwomen laugh. Time passed very quickly. Teresa turned to look at Laing from time to time, her face unnaturally red. All of this was seen by Ditinda.
It's good to be young.
After a while, when the moon rose high in the sky, the bell in the room rang. The hotel had already prepared dinner.
"Today's dinner is roast pork, grilled eel, buttered bread, smoked fish, roasted apples and pears, cream stew, and a thick soup made from radishes and corn." After a table full of dishes was served, the female Warlock took out more things from her room. "I also have cheese, honey, and jam. Laing, you can have the kind you like."
"Heavens, this is almost as good as the king's dinner." Laing complained. It was common knowledge that the female spellcasters of the Garlan Council pursued a good living environment, but only after experiencing it personally could one understand how luxurious it was.
As if it was a special reward, and also as if it was a special treatment that only he could enjoy, Theresa personally used silver cutlery to cut the bread for him. Then, she spread jam on it and handed it to Ryan.
After a comfortable dinner, Ryan ate until he was full, and at the same time, he also feasted his eyes.
After dinner, Laing stood up. "So …"
"Are you trying to run away now that you've had your fill?" Unexpectedly, Theresa stopped him rudely.
"… Your words are a bit ambiguous." Laing awkwardly stopped. "Is there anything else?"
The White Wolf Knight always felt uncomfortable when he was with the two female Garlan Council members.
"Sit down. I want to talk to you." Teresa motioned for the man to sit down. "It's the season, and there's nothing to do at night. Why are you always in a hurry to go back and rest?"
Laing could only sit on the sofa. Ditinda indicated that the two of them should talk. She still had to make medicine. Then, the academy witch quickly left the room.
Only the two of them were left in the room.
"Laing?"
"Yes?"
"Do you think our pursuit mission was a success or a failure?" The female Warlock sat beside Laing, her long legs swaying in front of his eyes.
"I don't want to disturb your good mood, but … we're currently a failure, and a complete failure." Laing shook his head with a wry smile. He really hadn't done anything since he received the mission. Perhaps killing the Doomsday Bull was one, but that wasn't a proper task.
"Yes, we're not successful at the moment. And Laing, haven't you noticed? There's no cooperation between us. In battle, we're always fighting separately. You fight yours, and I fight mine. "Teresa's beautiful phoenix eyes looked at Laing through her black-rimmed butterfly glasses." Isn't that so? "
"That's right. We lack tacit understanding." Leon had to admit this.
Reality wasn't a game. There was no such thing as friendly or hostile. Spellcasters' spells were often weapons of mass destruction. As a melee fighter, Laing really couldn't cooperate with Teresa.
"So, we need to find a tacit understanding between us, right?" Teresa said. "So we should act together more. You always seem to like to be alone. How can that help us develop tacit understanding?"
The female Warlock's words were reasonable and convincing.
"Okay."
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