They say it’s divided into two chapters so you can click more...
But I really don’t like things that look like cheating…
——
... As the four eyes met, a short figure slipped out from behind the pillar.
He indeed slipped out, because his short body was only half the size of an ordinary person. He was a little stooped, but he moved surprisingly fast. It seemed that in just a blink of an eye, he was already standing at the table...
With a body of only a little over two feet, a gray cloth cloak was so big that it almost reached the ground. The hood was swept back, revealing messy hair, which was a bit funny - although the first impression would be
People thought it was this child, but the long sideburns, rosy complexion, and the hairy soles exposed under the cloak allowed people to identify him.
A halfling.
Only intelligent races with this kind of habit among humans would do this kind of uninvited behavior, because they never know what fear and embarrassment are like.
"Hahaha... Don't worry, it's just a little joke. Yes, it's just an unreliable legend... Oh, I'm sorry, I haven't introduced it to you yet. I'm Jack. People here call me Baidu.
Bird Jack, don't look at me with such strange eyes. Everyone, I'm just a farmer living in this town.
Spouting out a bunch of nonsense in a rapping voice, the little man nimbly jumped onto the chair next to him, performed a funny etiquette like a third-rate clown, and kept chattering with a smile on his face: "Oh, of course, what else could it be?
?My father is a farmer, and his father and
His father's father is also a farmer, so I should be too..." But you probably know very well that life is difficult in today's world, and it is difficult to make ends meet just by relying on crops, so we honest farmers have to find some
Extra money within my ability..."
But apparently, he ignored whether several people here wanted and welcomed him to do so.
"If you want to find an accomplice, go down below... We are just passing by here and have no interest in your tricks or your legends." The knight named Jude frowned.
Anyone with some experience will not believe such words - halflings are all capable opportunists, cunning and resourceful guys. Although there are some reliable and diligent residents, there are also some who are waiting for an opportunity to get a vote and run away.
A thief who would rather cause trouble than be bored
Their character, strong curiosity, and lack of knowledge of danger are also well known. Therefore, not everyone likes them, especially this guy with a pair of shining eyes on his face, as if he is always
I'm thinking of some weird ideas all the time.
What's more, the soft-footed approach and the subtle sword and wear marks on the worn leather armor under the cloak are enough to prove that he is not a farmer, but a seasoned wanderer - another name for those thieves and gangsters.
"Accomplice? No, no, no, you probably misunderstood."
The rude words were almost driving away, but the little man's smile did not diminish, and his feet naturally did not move even half a step: "I am just a useless little person, I have no ability, and I don't want to go into the forest area for sightseeing.
I have no choice but to provide some information that may be useful to friends like you who are new here... Of course, with your talents, it is not particularly difficult to travel through the entire Whispering Forest, but I believe that you are not the type to simply take risks.
As a target person, I am not boasting. The information provided by me, Jack, has been verified by all cave bears. I am honest and of high quality. Want to capture rare magical beasts? I can provide 80% of the valuable magical beasts in the forest.
Want to dig for good minerals in the haunted places? I know a little bit about adamantine, mithril, black iron or red sapphire, crystal veins... In short, I can guarantee to make your adventure easier and easier.
Colorful.”
"We don't need it either."
"Ah, gentlemen, please don't try to deal with Jack. That's too sad, especially for something so obvious." The halfling laughed and shook his head: "Why hide it? Baiyang Town... tut tut.
, although thanks to Lord Viscount James, this place is considered a good place in Xifengyi, but it is not
If you want to enter the Whispering Forest, how many high-class people who are accustomed to Lordan or Manchu will come to this remote place?... Well, if you are not short of money, I can try to find some.
A famous group of cave bears; they are all veterans who have been to the forest many times, and have also drawn maps of the surrounding area——"
The crisp chatter suddenly stopped...
An iron glove suddenly grasped the halfling's thin shoulder, and then in a flash of white luster, he was surrounded by water waves!
"You... no no, Your Excellency, that one of your Excellency... turns out to be a paladin?"
Most of the rosiness on the halfling's face disappeared immediately, but he quickly calmed down - although as the defender of order and the embodiment of justice, the paladin has the right to kill and make decisions to some extent, but their
The principle is to protect the good and fight against the evil... But what is reflected on his body by the magic at this moment is a slight blue sheen.
This means that at least he has not committed any crimes, which is guaranteed by the power of God.
"You might as well listen to what he has to say." On the other side, the female mage in the black robe suddenly spoke. She lifted her sleeves and a small shiny gadget fell on the table with a tinkling sound.
As a result, the halfling who called himself Jack immediately became blinded.
It was not an ordinary coin. It shone with pure whiteness, but was different from the luster of silver coins - platinum coins, a currency worth ten times that of gold coins. And in most areas of Xifengyi, its exchange ability was even greater.
More than half higher... The halfling lowered his head respectfully and licked the corners of his mouth involuntarily, but his eyes were completely fixed on that little gadget.
"Okay, okay, no matter what you are interested in, I, Jack, will tell you everything..."
"So, why are there so many people gathered here?"
"The Whispering Forest is originally a place where magical beasts gather. Although it is a bit dangerous, the things produced can always be exchanged for a lot of gold in the hands of magicians and fur traders... The cave bears naturally gather more and more.
The more..."
"It doesn't seem real."
"No, no, no, for the sake of magic, I didn't lie."
"...a part of it is hidden."
"That's all I know... Okay, okay, I'll say that." The halfling's sharp voice was as fast as frying beans - the spellcaster obviously didn't like his nonsense, so the platinum coin had already been
As he moved, he got further and further away from him.
"It is said that there are open-air silver veins in the forest. Some people have seen it, and some people have even made a fortune from it... So recently, many people who come here have dreams of getting rich. Everyone says that
It is a myth, but as you have seen, there are always people who would rather believe that it exists...and the rumors are getting more and more powerful. From silver mines, gold mines, now some people are talking about mithril and fine gold..."
"Open-pit mines?" There was some fluctuation in the young paladin's voice - not friendly: "The ownership of metal mines should belong to the kingdom and to His Majesty the King. How can it be mined without permission?"
"Sir, no one here would use the word mining...it's just digging, or picking up..." Jack stretched out a finger and shook it: "And, of course, it is a legend of a few people after all, and most people
Everyone returns empty-handed... But you must also know that people will only see a few successful cases... not to mention those guys who got rich didn't get anything. The Whispering Forest is mysterious. No one can
They found mineral veins that they had seen before, but never before. And the money they got was thrown on the gambling table, and all was lost in the blink of an eye."
"Easy come, easy gone... It's always been like this for these scoundrels." The paladin snorted.
"Of course, and... and..." The halfling watched the platinum coin slowly approaching him with joy, and quickly reached out to catch it, but at this moment, his voice seemed to be suddenly stagnant -
A beautiful layer of purple light flickered on the coin, but then disappeared without a trace.
But when he spoke again, his voice was no longer full of that oily accent.
"It's just like that on the surface, but as far as I know...well, these seem to be rumors spread by Edward. In fact, there may not be any minerals at all, just a means to attract adventurers?"
Swallowing, he carefully scanned his surroundings. He lowered his voice, as if he was no longer facing a group of strangers, but his companions who had been with him for many years: "You know, with many adventurers, from the Wood of Whispers
There will be more good things out there, and they can also lower the prices of good things... The more people there are, the more Baiyang Town will make. With gold coins, it can naturally attract those businessmen. With more businessmen, the more people in the forest will
Magical beasts, herbs, and alchemy raw materials can naturally be sold at high prices... Do you see that big road outside? That was expanded by the merchants for free, without spending a penny from the Viscount?",
"Who is this Edward?"
"You actually don't know who Edward is? Let me tell you, it's hard for you to survive here?"
The halfling unceremoniously gave the knight who asked the question a roll of his eyes, and then spit out a series of titles: "Well, since you asked the question sincerely, I will tell you mercifully... Edward is the Hilton Tavern, oh,
He should be the owner of the Express Hotel, the son of Old York, the town's blacksmith, the son of our Viscount James, the advisor of James Jr., and the deputy captain of the guard of Poplar Town... a good hand among the cave bears around the Whispering Forest, and another
, you may not be able to see that this guy is also the most sinister among the cave bears around the Whispering Forest... huh?"
A burst of noise outside the window made the halfling suddenly stop chattering, took a glance, and jumped excitedly to the table aside... and cast his gaze out the window: "Oh, here it comes, that idiot!"
————————
The slight slope on the hillside allowed the second-story window of the Hilton Hotel to easily notice what was happening near the town gate - amidst the diffuse dust, a team was approaching the town.
It seems to be the most common merchant in Xifeng.
In Xifengyi, doing business is a very dangerous thing; bandit gangs, bandits, bad road conditions... On those winding roads in the wilderness, even if the goods can be sold here, the price is much higher than inland with convenient transportation.
A price that is twice as high does not necessarily allow businessmen to work hard - just a little negligence will cause them to lose all their money, or even lose their lives.
Therefore, ordinary merchants would gather into cavalry and hire teams of guards.
The one in front of us was obviously no exception - more than twenty wooden carts were dragged by horses, loaded with goods covered in felt cloth, and there were more than thirty horsemen following the vehicles on both sides, with fully armed mercenaries on them.
Patrolling the surroundings vigilantly...the long journey left them wrapped in a layer of dust. They looked a bit embarrassed.
But is a caravan worth such excitement?
The halfling's attitude of staring out the window attentively made the middle-aged knight frown. But before he spoke, there was a sudden noise outside - outside the gate, the convoy suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the town gate.
come over!
"The enemy is attacking! It's a gang of robbers! They're a gang of robbers! Close the door quickly, hurry up..."
The exclamations that broke out on the wooden wall were extremely shrill, and amidst the roars and commotion, the two doors creaked and closed inward... However, everything seemed to be too late.
On top of a dozen horse-drawn carts, the felt cloths on the carts "conjured" more than a dozen people each. Adding in the guys who were originally on the side of the convoy, the number of people instantly reached about a hundred. I saw only these
The person who suddenly appeared quickly divided into two groups, pushing forward
The cart in front moved forward and stuck it in the doorway, squeezing the city gate tightly. The others overturned the cart in the back to form a temporary bunker. Then with the sound of bow strings, the towers of the city were
The two guards holding long bows screamed and fell down!
But in the blink of an eye, the city gate has changed hands.
…
"Damnable bandits!"
The paladin stood up suddenly and drew out the long sword beside him! The white luster instantly illuminated the surrounding area.
However, as if in response to his actions, the sound of clanging metal friction began to sound one after another in the hotel.
"Everyone, we are from the Black Crow Mercenary Group. We are going to do something here today, so you'd better be more sensible... just stay there and don't move."
On several tables near the door, a dozen big men stood up. They each waved their weapons and made intimidating gestures. The one who spoke was a particularly tall and bald man among them: "I know.
You are all top-notch players, and I have no interest in making enemies of you, so as long as you continue to rest here, we promise not to embarrass you."
"It won't delay everyone for a long time. It's just a meal. After the work is completed, everyone here will receive five gold coins as a reward, so please rest in peace... Well, it's quiet in a word."
Just look at the excitement, it will be over soon." He shouted triumphantly in his drake voice.
What answered him was a sharp sound.
The sound was like tearing rags, extremely short and terrifying! Just when the bald man's body stiffened slightly, the four or five companions beside him each let out a muffled groan!
Their bodies flew backwards as if they had been hit by a sledgehammer, knocking over several tables!
Then came the heartbreaking screams.
Amidst the screams, Baldhead couldn't help but retreat continuously. He didn't seem to be injured, but he noticed in a daze that several of his men had piled up in a strange shape in the corner!
More than a dozen arrows penetrated deeply into their bodies. The four unlucky guys who were shot in the chest and throat lowered their heads without saying a word. The deeply penetrating crossbow arrows made them die happily.
.Compared with them, the other three guys who were pierced through the chest and abdomen were much unlucky - as they rolled and struggled lifelessly, the bright red blood swayed outwards with their movements, filling the air in the blink of an eye.
Disgusting smell of rust.
What caused all this was a dozen fully armed mercenaries. They were putting down their heavy crossbows and drawing out their swords, staring at the so-called Black Crow Mercenary Group, which had suddenly been reduced to four members in front of them.
But at this time, the mercenaries who were retreating behind them burst into snickers, followed by a flurry of noises.
"I've said it for a long time... the two of them said it ten days ago, this Black Crow Group is not a particularly outstanding thing at all. After gathering a few idiots, I'm afraid they will have the idea of Baiyang Town... Let's see?
Did I expect you?"
"You are indeed an idiot! You didn't even think about it carefully. If this town could be taken over so easily, how could I... the people in front of me keep it to this day? Only fools who are ill-informed would attack here.
The idea... Alas, they don’t know either..."
"Don't change the subject, you bastard! Last time we bet five gold coins, and within three months, the black crow disappeared. Now that I have won, you don't want to default on your debt, do you? Come out with the money quickly!"
"It took so long...Besides, they just came in, and they are still fighting. There are more than a hundred of them outside."
…
Is this a dream? Is it a joke? Or...
The cruel and huge impact of the facts made the remaining bandits a little dazed. They staggered back in confusion until a peaceful voice sounded nearby.
"Be honest and surrender obediently, gentlemen."
The owner of the voice, a young waiter from the hotel, was standing in front of them. He looked at them with pity: "Although the crime of banditry will make you serve a long period of hard labor, it is better than losing your life."
.”
What is this? Persuading surrender? Are you a fool? We have more than a hundred brothers outside! As long as I escape...
His mind finally struggled out of that terrible fact... The bald mercenary jumped up suddenly! In his eyes, this guy was simply a hostage sent to his door - those city guards might not be restrained, but with
He might be able to gain a chance by using it as a shield. As long as he escapes from the gate, the street will be his...
This idea only swirled in his mind for a moment before he was interrupted.
A genuine 'beat' break.
A burst of soreness and numbness emerged from his chin, and the scene in front of him suddenly turned dark! The noisy sound also turned into a terrifying buzz!
It seemed like a large group of mosquitoes and flies suddenly got into his ears, and then the mosquitoes and flies turned into the sound of horns and cymbals. It wasn't until it lasted for a long time that he felt something else - as if his body had hit something.
There was a heavy meal, and then a feeling of dizziness came over...
"My jaw... hurts so much..." he thought before losing consciousness.
But in the eyes of the people around him, all this was actually very short-lived... The bandit leader who rushed over like a wild boar threw himself out with a muffled sound, and the actions of the thin young waiter
, just raised his fist.
"Monk?" On the second floor, the paladin who was ready to go said in surprise.
The so-called warrior monks are the title of warriors who serve the mysterious sect. They are few in number, but all of them are particularly strong. Their most notable feature is that they do not rely on weapons and armor to arm themselves, but instead use weapons and armor to arm themselves.
Train yourself to become a weapon - legend has it that their palms are as tough as iron and can be used to deflect weapons and even penetrate armor, causing astonishing damage.
"No, it's not... Although it's somewhat similar, monks don't know how to use weapons."
Along with the spell caster, several people have turned their attention to this battlefield.
The small abyss wasp is only the size of a finger, but its sting is enough to knock down a big bear. The majesty of the legion of ants makes even the saber-toothed tiger shy away...Strength cannot be judged by appearance. Adventurers who have truly experienced the world understand it deeply.
.But at this moment, the young man's performance obviously exceeded their expectations.
At this time, the two guys following the leader with the same attack had also flown out one after another.
One received a leg sweep while running, while the other also received a punch, but he was even more unlucky than their leader - this punch followed the momentum of the leg sweep, rising from the bottom up.
The punch he swung was so powerful that even amid the noise, the crisp sound of bone cracking reached the ears of most people.
It was simply like the effect of being hit with a blunt instrument.
So among the three strong men, two had already lost consciousness happily, while the remaining one was shaking as if he had taken a swig of strong liquor. No matter how hard he struggled, he seemed unable to stand up...
So their opponent began to unceremoniously collect the fruits of victory... He stepped on the poor guy who was still conscious and pulled a necklace off his neck. Then there were the money bag and the bits and pieces on his fingers.
The slowed down movements also made it obvious that the strange metal objects on his hands were visible.
The ring seemed to be widened and thickened many times. It was cast together and wrapped all four fingers of his right hand together. It was a bit like a dark protective gear, but it was nothing compared to those shining swords.
At first glance... However, this is undoubtedly a weapon. A vicious weapon - the part that protects the fingers has several conical blunt thorns stained with blood, which makes people feel jealous at the first sight.
He was numb, and could not help but simulate the pain of being hit by this kind of metal, tearing the skin and crushing the bones.
As a result, the small metal component suddenly had a ferocious feeling, no less than any sword.
In fact, it wasn't just this weapon that was vicious. The knights' eyesight allowed them to notice another weapon on the boy's feet - a kick that could knock a big man down in a split second wasn't because of how powerful it was.
, but because the half-old boots on his feet were strangely bloated. When he kicked the unlucky guy's forehead, the clear and sonorous sound was enough to explain what was inside.
, at least an ingot of metal.
Of course, in the eyes of some people, such as the young paladin, they can see even more... The young man's neck and wrists exude a faint magical aura, which is not strong, but low-level.
Acceleration and Bull Brute Force - However, people with some experience know that the level of magic does not represent the difference between strength and weakness - for example, these two second and third ring spells are extremely practical and superimposed.
The effect is enough for an ordinary farmer to fight against an ordinary warrior.
"This group of idiots who don't know how to write the word "death"! I thought they wouldn't come... With just a few people, it's a dream to capture Baiyang Town!" The halfling spun around on his stool, excitedly.
As if everything was due to him: "Idiot to death!"
After muttering a lot, he patted his head as if he remembered something.
"Ah, by the way, I haven't finished what I said just now... You still don't know who Edward is, right? Well, that guy is him."
The little man made a funny introduction gesture, drawing the attention of several people to the young figure.
"That is Edward, the hunter king of Poplar Town, Edward the gold hunter, Edward Vincent."
After thinking for a while, he murmured again in a low voice.
"But generally everyone calls him Edward the Skinner."
;
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