There was a cacophony of hawking outside the window, and although it was noon, the little village was built in a wooded area of pleasant growth, and the tall trees kept out the warm autumn sun, so it was still as if the morning sun was rising from the inn.

Awani went down to the first floor of the inn, and the tavern was full of people, and everyone seemed a little quiet, it must have been the bard who was singing yesterday, yes, he had already heard the song coming into his ears! At this moment the beautiful bard was softly singing "Candace by the water", and it was rumored that Candace was a beautiful girl, whose husband had been drafted for the war, and this beautiful girl had been standing in the Nala River waiting for her husband's return, and this was twenty years, but what she had waited for was a jar of ashes! Tragic story, steadfast love, that's the tune of this song!

The bard holds in his hand a tambourine-like instrument called a weeping bell, which is gently slapped to produce a crying sound, perfect for this somewhat sad song.

The innkeeper seemed very happy, because of the bard, the business of the inn had improved considerably, even though it was only morning, and the wooden tables were already full of customers.

"Candace my love,

I'm going away,

Go to the world of strife.

And you are the sorrow of my heart.

May the flowing water sweep away the tears from the corners of your eyes for me,

May our parting no longer mourn,

Because in the season when the flowers reappear,

I will come back,

On the banks of the Nala River,

Where you and I are separated,

On the banks of the Nanara River,

We will meet eventually.

By the Nanara River,

We will stay together! ”

The bard's singing skills are very good, and the sound of the weeping bell is even more faint in people's hearts!

After singing the song, the whole hotel applauded, Awani found his partner, they were drinking, after all, mercenaries can rarely drink some dairy products elegantly, or the wine is the most suitable for them, especially the fruit wine in this hotel tastes very good, sweet, much better than those in the big city mixed with water!

Awani sat down at the table and applauded, after all, the bard sang very well, and it would be better if he could change the tune! Awani thought in his heart, after all, he didn't care so much about love or anything, mercenaries are a profession that licks blood on the knife edge, just have fun in time, lie on this girl's belly today, change it tomorrow, there is not so much pretentious love!

But this bard has a good figure, a good face, and more importantly, her voice if she can come to a night of spring dinner.

The bard stood up and bowed to the crowd, and went to the back for a short rest. The innkeeper hurriedly brought a cup of flower tea and paid her a silver sol. This is the best way for the wandering bard to make money. As for the amount of money and the amount of money, it depends on the mood and income of these principals.

The minstrels' rest revives the tavern to its noisy atmosphere, where the sounds of conversation and laughter mingle at the tables to form another unique tune!

"I heard that the ogres in the Ferguson Hills are restless again!" The mercenaries were a little worried when they said this, after all, if they wanted to enter the next city, Stanbeck, the Ferguson Hills were the place they had to pass.

"Don't those nobles in Stanbeck City care?" Hearing this, everyone's laughter suddenly fell silent, and they all hung a trace of sadness, most of the people in this inn are resting merchants and mercenaries, everyone relies on this road to eat, the appearance of ogres always makes them feel uneasy, after all, the word cannibalism proves the cruelty of this species!

"Hey~ As long as these ogres don't make waves in the Ferguson Hills for a month, how can these noble lords care about things here!" A merchant sighed, it seems that his goods are going to be sent somewhere else, but the cost will be high! Maybe you'll lose money!

"Jingle bells, jingle bells!"

The bell on the door jingled, and another traveler walked into the tavern. Avani's eyes quickly moved to the newcomer's body, a gray-white cloak draped over his body, the hem of which hung down to his heels, the hood hung behind his back, and his golden hair, like the bright sunlight outside the window, hung from his head, and was blown out by the wind, jumping happily like a light elf. Although the facial features are immature, they are extremely handsome! Raphael's eyes were originally a little golden, but I don't know if it was because of the release of the soul weaver's skill, the color of the eyes became bright silver, and it looked very strange!

The discussion gradually quieted down, because Raphael's appearance attracted the attention of everyone in the hotel, and the little fox on his shoulder raised his head to scan everyone, and then continued to lie on Raphael's shoulder in a dull manner, as if only this position could attract her interest.

Under the feeding of Raphael's soul crystal, the little fox's body has changed from the original illusory to solid, and the white and silver fur is soft on the body, which looks very expensive!

"Two cups of juice, four plates of roast leg of lamb!" There was something wrong with Raphael's numbers, which made everyone glance back, but they really didn't see anyone.

"Four plates of roast leg of lamb?" The innkeeper obviously had some doubts as well, and asked at the exit.

"Well, four plates! Please cut the other two plates for me. "The little red horse doesn't like to eat grass, it can be said that there is no meat and no joy, anyway, the little red horse is not bad, and Raphael is not stingy with his rations. Raphael took a few silver soles out of his coat pocket and placed them on the bar.

"Okay." Seeing that Raphael was so generous, the innkeeper nodded, and instructed the cooks in the back to cook, the business here is unabated all year round, so there are few helpers who are really too busy to work.

Raphael's demeanor made the guests of the inn feel that this man was not an ordinary person. Avani came over with some interest, this kind of person is either rich or expensive, and it must be a good thing to be able to have a little friendship.

"Hello, sir. Avani, the leader of the Sword Wind Mercenary Regiment. "Avani's image is okay, if you ignore the smell of alcohol on his body, you will definitely be able to add a few points to his image.

"Hello." Raphael nodded, he could naturally guess if the other party was careful, if he was a wronged leader, he might kill himself. If he's shrewd, he'll probably have a nice chat with him.

Mercenaries, Raphael has not been a mercenary, and under the unfavorable circumstances of the passing years, some mercenaries will even change into a set of clothes and make a cameo appearance as a bandit. This is the main reason why the reputation of mercenaries has not been very good.

"Sir, are you traveling alone?" Awani saw Raphael's slightly smiling face and felt a little kind.

"And two more partners." Raphael teased the little fox on her shoulder, making her look at Raphael with some dissatisfaction.

"Are you heading to Steinbeck City?" Avani felt that the person in front of him was also interesting, and estimated that it might be a noble young master who sneaked out to play, this kind of thing is often heard, so he was kind enough to remind Raphael.

"Well, I do plan to go to Stanbeck City to buy something." Raphael found that some of the magic materials in his storage ring were depleting a little faster with his recent use. He plans to go to Steinbeck City to replenish it, Stanbeck City is also a big city around here, and he can take a boat to Perkin Harbor through Stanbeck City, which can greatly shorten his trip, and it will take at least two months or so to travel by land!

"Then I advise you to dismiss this idea." Avani looked at Raphael's frail body and dissuaded.

"Why?" Avani's words made Raphael think the mercenary was funny. Asked the innkeeper to send an extra glass of full ale, the innkeeper did not hesitate, not to mention the extra silver sol that Raphael had given before, and he was not distressed by five glasses.

Avani took a sip of the ale brought by the innkeeper, then put the wine glass heavily on the table, and exhaled a breath of wine, "I heard that the ogres of the Ferguson Hills have been very restless lately, and you alone used to be their rations, I have seen these big guys, all as tall as this inn, with a long horn on their heads, and a wooden stick the size of an iron pot in their hands, not to mention the terrifying appearance, their combat effectiveness is also very amazing, I've seen them snap several large trees with a casual swing of a stick. ”

What Awani said was so true that when he got to the point, he even jumped directly on the table next to him and waved it, like a monkey!

As for the ogre, Raphael didn't feel afraid, if this creature didn't form a tribe, it was just a group of fierce beasts with relatively strong strength, and if they really encountered it, Raphael had a way to make them die in his own hands. However, there is nothing worth doing in these big guys, because the skin is rough and the flesh is thick and thieves pick the door!

It's hard to get any valuable loot from him, Avani seemed to be a little tired, and sat down to take a big sip of half of the ale, and the innkeeper also brought Raphael's food, Raphael first brought two plates of diced roast lamb shanks to the little red horse, and patted him, "Man, eat." The little red horse neighed happily and bowed his head to eat.

"It's a good horse, and I want it too, but it's a pity that the horses in the horse market are either too expensive or too poor." Awani exclaimed, more interested in Raphael's identity, even if a noble young master wants to get such a good horse, it is not a simple matter! He had also seen quite a few nobles, and the horses they rode were not at all comparable to the one next to Raphael!

"He's my good buddy, of course. So where are you going? Raphael smoothed the back of the little red horse, and then looked at Avani, this mercenary was okay, he didn't mind helping them, and it was convenient for him to study a scroll blueprint that he hadn't figured out recently.

"Steinbeck City, our mercenary group has taken on a mission to escort a caravan, and it's not so easy to earn some commissions these days." Awani said with some emotion.

"Hey, I can't see it, you're pretty good. Are you going to give us a ride? Avani listened to Raphael's words, as if he had thought of something, and laughed strangely, and then spoke.

"Huh? Maybe I can help you when it matters. Raphael smiled mysteriously.

"Hmm...... Forget it, our mercenary group has always been lucky, even if you pay me for that glass of ale! Avani agreed after a moment's thought, although he felt that Raphael's words were a bit bragging, because he didn't feel the strength from Raphael's body. It's good to make a good relationship, Raphael looks like that kind of rich person, these mercenaries are messing around, it must be a good thing to be able to know the rich owner!

The next day, there was an extra Raphael in the ranks of this mercenary group, and the leader of the caravan was a little dissatisfied with this extra person, in his opinion, it was to increase their burden, after all, he hired these mercenaries to protect his caravan. The extra guy doesn't look like a guy who knows how to fight, isn't this just a danger that increases the whole team?

Under Avani's appeasement, the leader of the caravan could only accept this extra person, but from the eyes that fluttered from time to time, it could be seen that the dissatisfaction in his heart had not diminished in the slightest!

Raphael didn't care about his eyes, he glanced at the ratio of the caravan, and ten warriors followed beside the ox cart. A regular caravan will usually be guarded by its own chamber of commerce, and then depending on the danger of the journey, you can add one or two mercenary groups or so. As for why not add more mercenary groups?

The main thing to consider is the cost, hiring mercenaries costs money, too many mercenary groups will make the profit of the goods decrease!

Then look at Awani's mercenary group, two heavily armored warriors, an assassin, and two archers, which can be regarded as a relatively nondescript mercenary team, but it seems that their tacit understanding is quite good, the two archers stand on the ox cart, their eyes sweep around, probing every possible crisis. The female assassins in that team were captured by Raphael's spiritual power and were hiding around the entire team, after all, the most suitable assassin class was to hide in the shadows, waiting for an opportunity!

Awani is scouting the trail ahead, and an experienced pathfinder can always avoid possible dangers in advance!

However, it seems that their luck is not as good as Awani's mouth, because Raphael heard footsteps coming from a distance, and the sound was so loud that it was a heavy creature when he heard it!