"Look, the legend of the Golden Fruit Tree is not as interesting as the struggles of tiny creatures. I’ve decided to let these two little guys take on this adventure. Besides, that human man seems quite amiable; perhaps he has some connection with the King of Knights."
Fulrofa turned to look at her: "Do you know the King of Knights?"
Alorz immediately started coughing: "That’s just a saying, just a saying, Fulrofa!"
"What exactly are you up to?" The long-haired girl asked indifferently.
"Nothing, just a small test."
Alorz cackled mischievously again.
When Reto saw Brand and Frey returning, they had already settled the refugees and started cooking on the spot. From a distance, the small valley bottom, shrouded in mist, was filled with whiffs of smoke, adding a touch of vitality to the scene.
After a night of battle, both the mercenaries and the self-defense corps militia were exhausted. As Brand rode his horse through the crowd, he saw many people huddled together in groups, falling asleep as soon as they sat down. Meanwhile, some refugees were voluntarily bringing food to these protectors, waking the sleeping warriors, and placing steaming hot food in front of them.
Seeing this scene, Brand couldn’t help but feel a bit gratified. If it weren’t for him, most of these people wouldn’t have survived. He changed these people’s lives, and they will go on to change even more lives; this is how history gets rewritten, bit by bit.
Though still weak now, the strength was gradually growing.
He caught the eye of the veteran from the November War, the owner of the Red Copper Dragon Storytelling, who softly asked if they were leaving immediately. But when Brand turned to look, he saw Char and Su sleeping soundly on a wooden crate nearby. He observed the rest of the camp, and the entire place was silent.
He thought for a moment and shook his head. Since half of his plan was already accomplished by reaching this point, there was no need to push these people too hard. Time in Fairyland approaches stasis at night; they could wait until morning to depart and still be ahead of Madara’s forces.
After all, the exit to the north of the valley was almost within reach, near the riverbank heading north through Sharp Stone River Valley.
"Have you rested, Uncle Reto?" Brand asked.
"Don’t worry, Lord. I am a mercenary; we excel at taking care of ourselves in environments ." Reto patted his chest with a laugh.
"Then, Frey, you should get some sleep too." He turned back to look at the ponytailed girl who hadn’t slept for days. Although Blessing of the Saint could restore stamina, mental fatigue was harder to eliminate.
Frey quickly shook her head: "I can still hold on, Brand."
"That’s an order, Frey." Brand
Frey couldn’t help but widen her eyes. Did she have to obey his command now? Clearly, she was the Militia Captain! But as she looked at Brand, recalling how this young man led people through enemies ten or even a hundred times their number with valor, she couldn’t say a word. It seemed so natural; ultimately, she could only lower her head and nod.
"I, I understand." She responded.
Brand did not notice the subtle compliance in the future Valkyrie’s tone. Watching her leave, he casually asked Reto: "By the way, where is Roman?"
"Miss Roman just rode her horse to the front of the group." Reto said, glancing towards the front of the lineup. His expression suggested he had witnessed something quite remarkable.
"’Rode’ a horse?" Brand, not catching Reto’s expression, questioned puzzledly. Was that girl once again tying herself to the horse in wild abandon? He couldn’t help thinking, perhaps without punishment for a while, the future Miss Merchant forgot her past mistakes?
But before he could finish his thought, a voice greeted him from behind: "Hey, Brand, you’re back?"
The voice, so characteristic, was undoubtedly from a certain carefree young lady.
He turned, seeing the merchant lady on horseback proudly riding back and forth in front of him. Brand took a closer look—she actually learned to ride?
"How did you learn that?" This time, it was his turn to be amazed. He learned Riding Skill instantly because he had the gaming system as a cheat, but what about Roman?
"Because Roman is a merchant." Roman stopped her horse in front of him, looking proud of herself as she responded.
"What does that have to do with being a merchant?"
"Eh? Isn’t it related?" Roman widened her eyes in surprise: "Don’t all merchants know how to ride?"
"I must say, Miss Roman, most merchants do not know how to ride." Reto chimed in.
Roman’s brows furrowed tightly: "Is, is that so?—No matter, Roman is one of the exceptional merchants, right Brand?"
"Sure, sure." Brand replied, not bothering to argue. He thought, perhaps this was heaven’s compensation for someone with a quirky mind: naturally blessed in some ways. It might be what people mean by fortune favors the foolish. He glanced at her irritably, then dismounted, ordering: "Little Roman, since you have so much free time, come walk through the camp with me."
"Alright, Brand." The merchant lady agreed enthusiastically.
"Do you need me to come along, Lord?" Reto asked, turning his horse.
Brand nearly choked on his own words. He thought, Uncle, must you be so keen to play lightbulb? But knowing Reto meant well, he couldn’t refuse and reluctantly nodded.
However, as soon as he dismounted, he suddenly felt something odd in his waist pouch. Puzzled, he opened it. One look, and his expression changed instantly. He thought he must be seeing things, then quickly closed the bag and reopened it.
Brand was convinced he must be hallucinating.
How could such an item be in his pouch?
(PS. Look, I got too excited about the fourth test flight yesterday and didn’t write. Today, to celebrate, I’ve decided to burst out with five updates. This is the first one.
By the way, please give me your monthly tickets. Not many friends have voted these days, only 2 or 3 tickets a day, TAT.
Additionally, please recommend and click. I barely made it to the recommendation list last week, but no list this week.)(To be continued, to know what happens next, please visit www.qidian.com, more Chapters, support the author, support legitimate reading!)