PS: I'll add a chapter today, but there won't be any tomorrow.
They discussed the recent events, and Laing asked about Oliver and his companions.
"I've made arrangements for them. I've helped Gray Blade cancel his mercenary group at the Mercenary Guild and helped Blood Axe resolve their possible demotion. I've paid most of the remuneration. Werther and his companions are renting a farmer's longhouse with a dozen of them. They intend to spend the Winter Veil Festival in this city. They'll consider moving to other places when spring comes." Teresa took out a contract and passed it to Laing as she said, "This is their mercenary contract. I've verified it and signed it."
"Then this." Teresa took out a bag of gold coins and passed it to Laing as she said, "This is the money that Oliver gave us. I didn't take my share, but I've brought your share."
"You didn't take your share? That's not like you. " Laing took the bag of gold coins and weighed it. There were at least 100 to 200 gold coins. The White Wolf Knight kept the money calmly.
He knew that the two merchants, Oliver and Martz, had suffered heavy losses on this trip. Taking their money at this time would be a big blow to them. However, Ryan took the money with a clear conscience and didn't feel any psychological burden.
The reason was simple. If not for Teresa's Mana Skills that repelled the Orcs, and if not for Teresa and Laing, the Orcs would have become delicacies in the stomachs of the Doomsday Bull.
Laing dealt with the Doomsday Bull because of Yurick's Oracle. But from another perspective, he also contributed to the Merchants' retreat.
He's a middle-aged man in his forties. His title of Count of Mjolden Haven has been passed down from the Nords Territory before the great holy war. Therefore, he's a real count, not a feudal lord from the Nords Kingdom. Albert Beck's characteristics are that he's like a tax collector, and he has a lot of women. It's said that there are more than a dozen female court officials in his castle, and there are even a few mistresses outside his castle. " Teresa took out another document and passed it to Laing as she said, "He's different from Villard. He didn't come from a military background. Compared to war, he prefers to study the tax collection of the port. He's content with his peaceful rule. Under his stable rule, Mjörden Haven prospered for a long time."
"So he's a Dungeon Lord who's inclined towards internal affairs?" Laing stroked his chin. After a few days of outdoor activities, his chin had grown a thin stubble.
"From the current intelligence, that's the case. Albert Bak isn't bad at war, but he's been exterminating bandits and Orc tribes. He rarely goes to the battlefield and prefers to appoint his own Knights to lead the troops. Even though it's rare, when he goes to the battlefield, he'll ride a half-blood Elf Warhorse to the frontline and use a Lance to fight." Teresa tucked her black jade-like hair behind her ears and leaned on Laing's shoulder lazily. She had a unique charm that ordinary people couldn't see, and the faint scent of lavender wafted into Laing's nostrils.
"Also, this is the list of Knights in this town. There are two Royal Knights and five Ranger Knights stationed in Mjörden Haven. Their names are all here. I didn't find any particularly famous or powerful figures. None of them are even members of the Knights' Legion." Teresa was happy that Laing didn't avoid her subconsciously. Her tone became more cheerful as she said, "So from the looks of it, we won't be staying here for long. There's no need for us to interact too much with them."
"Hmm, you're right." Laing didn't show it on his face, but he was secretly surprised. He wasn't surprised by Teresa's ability to rely on him, but he was surprised by her ability to gather information and arrange various affairs.
"This is the tax information of this city. This city pays more than three thousand gold coins to its lord every year. Mjörden Haven has a registered population of more than three thousand households. As the largest port city on the west coast of the Nords Kingdom, the maximum number of people mobilized is five hundred standing soldiers and two thousand conscripts."
It only took her one day to gather all the information of the entire city. Sure enough, the women from Jalan were all very resourceful. If it were Laing, even if he was a Royal Knight, it would take him at least three days to gather all the information.
"…" Ryan gently pushed away the sorceress who was leaning on his shoulder and stood up from the soft sofa. Seeing him stand up, the sorceress also stood up subconsciously and followed behind him. She asked softly, "What's wrong?"
"Thinking about it, I think this mission is a failure." Laing shook his head with a bitter smile. "It's been a week since I bid farewell to my foster father in Coldwinter. Not only did I not gain anything, but I also dragged Olivia and the others down with me. Did you know? That Doomsday Bull was notified by Belt, so it led its own battle gang to find us. "
"But it's not your fault. It's our duty to chase after evil. If we didn't chase after Bernt, he wouldn't have done all these things." Teresa walked behind Laing and expressed her opinion. "The effect of the Fallen Hunter is like a rolling snowball. If we don't react in time, it will become more and more destructive. At least, our efforts have forced him to escape from Nords. At least, we've killed two Orc Kings during our journey."
"But it's not enough, far from enough. The only basis for success is to capture or kill Bernt. We can't use these meaningless things to make up the numbers." Laing shook his head. "We were slow at the start. If we weren't hindered by the Orc gang in Meen Forest, we would have a chance to catch up with Bernt in Calcen Haven."
"You're right. We were too passive. Perhaps it's my fault." Teresa finally admitted her mistake. "I should have met up with you from the start instead of splitting up because I thought I could do better than you. The Blood Axe ensured my safety, but it slowed us down."
"Ha." Laing laughed coldly. He had never expected the mercenaries to be of help. What about the wandering Knights? Judging from Ike's behavior, this kid was more like a mercenary in the market, and also like a bandit leader who was opportunistic and slick. He never thought of Ike as a knight, and he interacted with him more like a high-ranking mercenary.
Moreover, he would remember the grudge of being coerced by him.
An extremely vicious idea had once appeared in Ryan's mind.
If he had chosen to abandon the Sorceress and the mercenaries during the battle in Meen Forest and let them hold back the Orcs while he rushed to the harbor, he would have been able to catch up with Bernt.
But he threw the thought out of his mind.
First, he was a Knight. As a White Wolf Knight, if he didn't abide by the eight virtues, he would be no different from the greedy wandering Knights.
Second, as the son of that man, he had an unparalleled pride. Unless it was absolutely necessary, he wouldn't do such a despicable thing.
But on second thought, the Blood Axe mercenaries only had a dozen people left. They had sacrificed a lot in order to protect Theresa. Since Theresa had already realized her mistake, he didn't want to dwell on it any longer. So, the man reached out his hand and placed it on the woman's shoulder. "Let's sit down and talk."
"You're the one standing up and sitting down." Teresa smiled brightly like a plum blossom blooming in the middle of winter.
Laing had an illusion that the entire room was illuminated by her smile.
Her smile was enchanting.
Emmm … In an instant, Laing had the urge to be the little one commanding the big one, and his face turned red.
The two of them returned to the sofa. Unlike before, Teresa kicked off her high heels and sat on the sofa with her legs bent. She looked at the man and then at herself with her slender phoenix eyes. She smiled and said, "This is the first time I'm sitting on the same sofa as a man."
"Er … as long as you don't think I'm taking advantage of you," Laing replied awkwardly.
"No … I feel that we don't have to be so formal." Theresa extended her finger that was painted with cardamom nail polish and tapped Ryan's palm lightly. "You always think that I'm intentionally acting cold in front of outsiders. We're people who can entrust our lives to each other. I'm a woman, and I don't mind that. Why are you, a man, embarrassed?"
Laing thought that was true. Councilwoman Jialan didn't mind, so why should he be embarrassed? It wasn't like he was at a disadvantage.
Therefore, the White Wolf Knight, who had been carefully sneaking glances at the woman's beautiful figure and face, gradually became bold and unrestrained.
Women were very observant when it came to where men were looking, but Teresa didn't care.
What Laing didn't know was that Teresa was a normal woman. After her period ended, her emotions would naturally change due to the changes in her menstrual cycle.
In short, she was more willing to get closer to men these days.
As for which men were worth getting closer to … Was there even a need to ask?
After dinner, Teresa spent an hour putting on makeup and another half an hour choosing clothes. Under Ditinda's guidance, Teresa carefully recalled Laing's preferences and finally chose this outfit.
As expected, Teresa was very satisfied with the man's stunned gaze. She had always been confident in her beauty.
Ugh ~ What am I thinking about?
The woman's face was like a ripe apple, suddenly flushing red.
She began to understand how she felt about the man in front of her.
"Why are you blushing all of a sudden?" Laing didn't know what the woman was thinking, but he knew that this was not the time to interrupt, so he patiently waited for a while before speaking.
"No, nothing. By the way, do you remember the mercenary who took care of me during the journey, Emilia?" After figuring out her thoughts, the sorceress let go of her burdens and moved closer to the man. Almost half of her body was leaning on Laing. "Don't you think it's a little strange?"
"What's strange?" Laing was a little uncomfortable.
"Why do you think a teenage girl who travels alone is so clumsy when it comes to menstruation?" Teresa just wanted to change the topic.
However, Laing suddenly thought of something and then revealed a mysterious smile. "That's right! A girl who lives alone in the wild, who has been a mercenary for many years, who is proficient in cooking and medicine, and who is also literate and proficient in arithmetic, how can she be so clumsy when it comes to taking care of people? So, think about it carefully, what could be the reason? "
"There are two possibilities. First, she's afraid of me. She's afraid that I'll do something bad to her. Then, either she has a talent for magic and is afraid that I'll take her to Sky Castle to become an apprentice wizard, or she has a special body and is afraid that I'll use her for experiments." Teresa raised her first finger.
Laing reached out his hand and pressed down the finger. "This doesn't make sense. As the daughter of a merchant, and also a refugee, she can't be afraid of becoming an apprentice wizard like those noble girls. Being able to get your protection is more than what she wants. Similarly, it's possible that she has a special body, but the probability is too low. She's been working with these mercenaries for two years. If she has a special body, there's no reason for those mercenaries to not discover it. A woman is already very eye-catching in a mercenary group, and if she has a special body, she won't be able to stay for long."
Teresa's slender fingers touched the man's rough hand for a short while. Subconsciously, she shook a little, but she didn't break free.
Because it didn't feel bad, she could feel the wonderful touch caused by the magic in her body and the energy in Laing's body converging.
The two types of energy were attracting each other.
"Then it's the second possibility. This girl has a secret that she doesn't want others to know." Teresa extended a second finger and said, "Do you remember when we parted at the entrance of the Fortress?"
"Hmm, I remember. You asked me to come back alive. I promised and fulfilled my promise." Laing retracted his hand and crossed his arms in front of his chest.
"I'm not talking about that. Do you know? Before you came, I asked Oliver and Wayde to escape while I stayed behind to face the Orc Combat Gang. But Emilia didn't leave … "Teresa told Laing about the sword that the female mercenary gifted her.
"Gifted? After the incident, is her sword with you? "Laing stroked his chin.
"No, after the incident, she didn't mention the sword again." Teresa shook her head and changed her posture. She leaned sideways on the sofa and exposed her beautiful legs to Laing. "This means that the sword is very important to her. She said that the sword is her family heirloom, which means she has a secret."
"Yes! She has a secret, and it's a shocking secret! "Ryan said very seriously, but the smile in his eyes became more and more obvious.
"She's a Devil? A Specter? "Teresa was puzzled and said," That's impossible. If that's the case, how can I not feel it? "
"That's not right." Ryan wagged his index finger and said seriously, "The real answer is that she is very beautiful. Compared to you, she is not the slightest bit worse."
"Impossible! I've seen her face … wait, you're saying? "Councilor Garland wanted to retort, but she understood what Laing was implying.
"Her appearance will bring her trouble!" Clayon pinched his chin. "She seems to have used makeup and other means. Her skills are very good. Ordinary mercenaries can't tell. Even if they can, they will do their best to help her keep the secret because she is indispensable. However, outsiders are different. Her appearance may bring her trouble!"
"Then everything makes sense," Li Tianlan said. Teresa's doubts were mostly gone, but then she had a new question. "How do you know? And … is she really beautiful? "
"Because when I was looking for her, I carefully observed and identified her." Laing stared into the sorceress' eyes. "Beauty will often bring trouble, especially between women. Jealousy will often change people's faces. She doesn't want to provoke you. Am I right?"
Teresa was speechless. Jealousy between women was hard to explain.
Forget it. Why should I care about those lowly people? I just need Laing to believe that I'm not that kind of person. Teresa thought. To avoid a possible argument, she tried to change the topic.
"… By the way, Laing, your sword … is it also your family heirloom?" The sorceress suddenly brought up the topic that she had always been interested in.
Laing always carried the sword on his back at all times. Even when they sat on the sofa and chatted for dinner, Laing only put the sword on the big wooden table within reach.
"… You want to know that much?" Laing's eyes flashed with a smile.
"Is there a reason why you can't tell me?" Teresa didn't know why, but she looked at the man in front of her. She secretly felt dissatisfied. She didn't like that Laing still had a lot of secrets in front of her. She wanted to know more about this man.
"This sword?" Laing stretched out his hand toward the wooden table. Using his spiritual power, the sword flew into the air and into Laing's hand.
Zero-level cantrip, Magician's Hand.
"Yes, this sword. Can you tell me more about it?" The sorceress' eyes were as bright as the moonlight. She immediately sat up, wanting to hear Laing's secret.
"Oh, I'll tell you when I have the chance." Laing shook his head. "We're not close enough to talk about this."
"You just need to know that this sword is the only thing that my father left me."
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