Chapter 1185 1167. Predator Dwarves
In fact, the rendezvous point established by Duke Heward outside the Pontal Valley is quite easy to identify.
Under the dark night sky, only a few roars of beasts or monsters could be heard from the Pontar River and the mountains on both sides. This shows that the influence of the thing that caused the mutation and the ''white mist'' It hasn’t really spread here yet.
At least for now.
??Amidst the sound of the rolling river rapids, there is a gentle **** on the south bank of the Pontal River adjacent to the foothills of the Mahakam Mountains.
??The sound of noisy people, the sound of livestock burying their mouths in the trough, and the crackling of firewood. Lively and noisy.
It was only when the river barge docked at a makeshift ferry near the camp that it caught the attention of a guard.
“You are late, you are late! I was scolded for a whole hour!”
?The guard held a torch and directed the barge to dock.
??The captain on the ship also yelled and cursed at each other a few times. In the words "greeting" each other''s families, they clearly explained what happened at the ferry that was attacked before.
It is equivalent to clarifying where the time they spent late was used.
??The appearance of the term Scoia''tael undoubtedly aroused a wave of abuse.
But everyone is not surprised. This only shows that these non-human race guerrillas have indeed done a lot of things in this area.
The captain''s negotiation with the ferry manager is their business. For the mercenaries and soldiers on the ship, they have nothing to do with the captain at this point.
?So a group of people each took their luggage and horses from the center of the deck. Of course, there were some who were taking advantage of the sheep and fishing in troubled waters.
But this group of people at least had the courage to fight as a professional. Even though it was chaotic, it only took half an hour for them all to get off the ship.
"But they don''t seem to know you''re coming, my lord."
Amidst the crowds of people moving things under the boat and holding horses, Lincoln said behind Lan En.
The young clerk, like his lord, was in no hurry to get under the boat.
He was holding on to the railing on the side of the barge and looking down.
There was no welcome guard downstairs, and no one even came to ask questions.
??Although Duke Seeward''s stance on demon hunters and non-human races is well known, when receiving a duke recognized by law, the proper etiquette is indispensable.
For aristocrats, especially old-school aristocrats, poor etiquette means being shameless.
“Do you need me to communicate?”
?Lincoln turned to his side and asked.
"No need." Lan En shook his head, "Foltest didn''t tell him that I was invited. It''s interesting. This should also make it easier for me to move."
?Lincoln knew his master, so he did not refute, but just continued.
“Then I will put our flags away and we will make ourselves less conspicuous.”
Lane determined the direction of action, and Lincoln prepared on this basis. This is already a familiar cooperation mode between them.
Finally, when the crowd was no longer so crowded, Lan En and the others also stepped off the barge.
Most of the mercenaries who disembarked from the boat lit torches to illuminate the uneven ground.
?The torches were connected into a long dragon, extending all the way to the camp not far away.
—
The speaker was the eldest of the raiders, named Bucht. His arms were as strong as tree roots, and his exposed skin was covered with large tattoos.
"Everyone, are these the last group of people invited by Prince Seeward? Okay, although it is a bit fussy to have so many people just to clean up some monsters in the river valley, but we ordinary people are not qualified to say anything to the princes and nobles. Tao Si."
“Come on, madam, sit down and let us all warm up over the fire. We all rely on knives to eat, so there’s nothing to be embarrassed about, right?”
There are many bonfires in this camp to resist the cold in the mountains on spring nights.
Of course, this is how rough guys are treated. Like knights or nobles, they have spacious and comfortable tents.
Lan En was originally sitting next to Bucht, and then saw him familiarly calling Sachia and several other mercenaries to the bonfire.
?Of course, this tough-looking man actually has a delicate mind.
“You just met with the prince.” Buchter brushed his mohawked hair to one side, “What did he say to you?”
"He didn''t say anything, and he didn''t actually see us." Sakia sat down by the fire. "He was working on a roast chicken in the tent. The one who talked to us was an attendant knight, who''s his name?"
“Thales,” added Yarpen Ziegelin, a squat, bearded dwarf with the same hairstyle as Buchter.
“Scar on the face, scarlet cloak, and white rose emblem on the left shoulder, right?”
??The dwarf smiled uglyly, and at the same time, his thick, dusty neck turned red in the firelight.
"It''s a good thing you don''t have an inhuman race among you, otherwise the knight would tell you how vicious words can be. Fortunately, it was of no use to me. I have seen the world, so even at that time, I wanted to kick his calf to the bone. Come on, I can''t help it either."
Buchter nodded.
"Listening to what you said, this Knight of Thales seems to have no other abilities. He only yells and shouts, and then attacks others with the teachings of eternal fire." After saying this, Buchter patted the blue man next to him. Well arm.
"Okay, Nischuka. Go and cover the pile of firewood with canvas. I think there will be a light rain in the mountains in the evening."
Lan tilted his head: "I''m not the Nischuka you talk about, man."
Buchter was obviously taken aback.
“Yes, I am Nischuka.”
A tall figure also wearing a hooded cloak came over with a piece of canvas and covered the woodpile with the canvas.
?As the boss of the small group of predators, Buchter rubbed his forehead.
"I''ve seen the devil, why did you have to buy this shabby cloak? Sorry, I got the wrong person, my friend."
Lan En nodded kindly: "It doesn''t matter. But you also know that not everyone is like you, who looks tall and fierce. I have to add a little more intimidation to myself."
As he spoke, Lan En raised his hand in front of the fire and made a small gap between his **** to refer to the "point" in his words.
??Buchter nodded with a little complacency now.
After finishing his work, Nischuka also sat by the fire: "This cloak can make the enemy confused about the attack position when attacking. This is a great advantage. Otherwise, why would I buy it?"
"And having said that, I always feel that this battle is too big? Everyone is attracted by Siward''s bounty. This is not like an expedition, but more like sending someone to death. I don''t want to be among the crowd. fighting."
“Calm down,” Buchter comforted his partner, “It’s just that there are too many people. We have hunted dragons many times before, and it’s always like this, isn’t it.”
“There are huge crowds of people watching, like a market or a mobile brothel. But once the fighting starts, who will be left? Only us, the real warriors.”
Said "Hunting the Dragon". Not sure if it was an illusion, Saskia frowned, and her eyes briefly brightened in the firelight.
Only Lan noticed.
“Yes, nothing about the current situation is worth worrying about, except for one thing.” Yarpen Ziegelin picked up a narrow-necked wine bottle wrapped in wicker and took a sip.
?As he spoke, both the raider team and the dwarf team led by Yarpan Zygrin fell silent.
Obviously, what he is about to say is also of concern to most people.
“What on earth are we here to fight? Does anyone know? Even a little bit?”
“Let me state in advance that my brothers and I are never afraid of fighting. After all, many monsters have died in the hands of my group, including many real dragons.”
“Predators, you know this. After all, we have had some business conflicts before. Over the hunting rights of a dragon.”
? Buchter took Yalpin’s bottle and took a sip.
“Yes, we bear witness that it is so.”
“But fighting bravely doesn’t mean you have no brains.” Yalpan put a mohawk on his head to make his hair more shiny.
“We should have countermeasures for whatever enemy we face. If it’s a monster, we’ll be able to capture it. But if it’s like the rumors, it’s the Scoia’tael.”
“Intelligent creatures are different from monsters, everyone. They can deceive, disguise, ambush, seduce, and surprise. How can we deal with brainless monsters? They can do whatever they want to us with just a body of stupid muscles!”
“That’s not all.” Another person in the predator team, the youngest one, looked directly at Yarpan. "The danger goes far beyond that."
?Yarpen Zygrin fell silent.
The entire atmosphere around the fire was silent.
?Only one dwarf next to him, a dwarf with a sinewy face and a short cockscomb hair style, spoke.
“What do you mean, huh?”
“It means that there are a lot of people recruited here, including non-human races, such as you.” The youngest predator said unabashedly.
"How can we be sure that if we are dealing with the Scoia''tael, no one in this camp will be instigated by them? Or at best, you are trustworthy, but what if you are soft-handed when you bring the ax to your compatriots? ?”
??The dwarf wanted to argue angrily, but Yarpan held out his hand to stop him.
"Okay, Zoltan! There''s no point in arguing. How many times have I told you? You and I are going to learn how to make money, and you have to learn how to deal with people first! If you do something stupid again, I won''t give you face!"
After suppressing the dwarves around him, Yalpan, as the team leader, looked at the predators and others seriously.
“I solemnly declare that we are not from the same group as the Scoia’tael Party.”
"I accepted Siward''s employment. As long as he pays according to the rules, we will work for him according to the rules. I will never refuse, and I will never hesitate."
There was silence for a while, not only the humans were silent, but even the dwarves around Yarpan opened their mouths hesitantly, but in the end they didn''t say anything, they could only look down at the fire dejectedly.
“Let’s put it this way first.” Buchter took off his studded gorget and scratched his bull-like neck. "Perhaps Prince Siward is here for the monster?"
(End of this chapter)