"Captain's logbook, May 10, 352 mainland Gregorian calendar, cloudy. Pen "Fun" Pavilion www.biquge.info Yesterday we lost the news of a group of water search teams, and considering the fact that they were in groups of three, led by an experienced non-commissioned officer, we think that the probability of them having a purely accidental encounter such as a chance stumble is very low. That is, there may have been other people on this island who attacked them. After discussions, we decided to strengthen the fortifications along the shore, expand the size of the teams that cut wood and gather water and food, and equip them with weapons. In addition, I decided to organize a search and rescue team to rescue missing people who might still be alive. I will personally lead them. ”

Thorgrande gave the first mate the defense of the beachhead, and then set out with Draco and a total of 12 men to the depths of the island.

For the Fallensi, the rainforests of the southern islands are a whole new world. Although they are not untrained to fight in the complex terrain of dense vegetation, several of them have even experienced actual combat in the forests of Parelo and Alco many times. But there is a big difference between tropical rainforests and cold temperate forests, which are more humid and muggy, and teeming with all kinds of dangerous creatures. Snakes, lizards and arthropods are of course the first to be guarded against, as everyone knows they can be highly venomous. However, it is often the humble insects and other invertebrates, such as mosquitoes, that really cause enough trouble for jungle explorers.

The Pharians have not yet stepped out of the law, and they are basically already being stared at all over the place. While it made them feel uncomfortable, it didn't make them care. In fact, it is likely that they have been infected with malaria and various tropical infectious diseases.

Sogrand was also infested by mosquitoes, but he was slightly better off than others. Soon, they found animal trails in the jungle – something that wasn't too difficult for a trained person. The so-called animal trail is a path formed by the frequent movement of most animals in the jungle. A great writer once wrote: "There is no road in the world, but when there are many people who walk, there is a road." Strictly from a scientific point of view, he is narrow-minded in saying this. As an aside, the reason why Sogre is looking for animal trails and searching along them is because if they are used by multiple animals, they are most likely to lead to water sources.

"Stop!" Thorgrande raised his hand in motion, and the search party immediately stopped and crouched down on both sides of the path to rest.

Thorgrande fell to the ground and carefully brushed his hands through a layer of leaves under which he found important clues.

"What did you find, Lord Luce?" Draco leaned forward to ask.

"Human footprints."

"So they did walk this way?"

"No, it's not Semelwes."

"Do you say yes?"

"Draco, you come and take two steps, right over here." Sogrend ordered.

Draco did as he was told, and crouched down beside Saulgrande again.

"What do you think, Draco?" Thorgrande asked, smiling.

The young pirate realized that he was being tested, and after carefully examining the ground, he replied, "What does it mean that these footprints were stepped on barefoot, and that they are smaller and shallower than mine?" ”

"First, these footprints are not ours; Second, the human body that left these footprints is lighter than you, smaller than you, or female; Third, they should be humans and not monkeys or anything like that. ”

"Why not monkeys?"

"Because when an ape walks on the ground, it lands on all fours at the same time." "Also, we need to be careful, the other side is likely to have a weapon, do you see that mark?" A rounded dot, which could be a mark of a javelin. ”

Draco realized the details he had overlooked, and the boy was at first a little ashamed, and then he carefully recalled all the techniques that Sogrande had described.

"All right, guys." Sogrend raised his voice slightly and said to the others, "We may have to face a fight, and the other side is likely to be an experienced fighter, so we need to be careful." They may be smaller than us, but they're more familiar with the terrain and more flexible. We need to be vigilant, or a brief surprise attack will wipe us out. We unfold into a standard search formation, watch out for traps, watch out for traps. Drake, you follow me. ”

With Saulgrande as the center, the Pharensias spread out into an arrow and slowly began to move forward.

Thorgrande drew his saber, leaned it forward, and walked forward step by step. Draco was curious at first as to why he was doing this, but after walking for a while, he understood the importance of Thorgrande's move. They had traveled about 300 fats, and Sogre alone had found two traps and two tripwires, and it took a lot of time to clear them. The tripwires triggered non-lethal traps, which made the Pharians feel a little strange.

"The good news is that Semelwes and they are mostly alive, and the bad news is that they seem to be interested in us." Sogrend summed it up in one sentence.

After continuing to advance half a mile, the sound of murmuring water reached the ears of the Pharians. This made everyone's nerves, which had been tormented by mosquitoes and sweltering heat for a long time, suddenly perked up, as if the cool water had washed their irritable minds first. While the Falencians were feeling a little uncontrollable and wanted to rush to the water, Sogrend gave the order to hide in place. All of them could only crouch in silence.

"Listen." Thorgrande reminded.

After a long time, Draco spat out with some difficulty: "There are voices...... And it seems to be a woman's? ”

"Correct." Sogrend waved everyone back.

"Alright, guys, let's outflank each other in teams of two. Remember, this is most likely a decoy, so don't do it rashly. Every three teams are always ready to support each other, and each team sends a group of people to reconnoitre, and then decides on their own course of action. No, then let's get moving! ”

Afterwards, Hook asked Derack what he had seen that day. The pirate boy kept blushing and didn't say why. Of course, this is understandable, after all, among the parties, only Sogrand was sufficiently sober in the first place. Then again, any man who has been at sea for two months and sees more than twenty young girls with honey-skinned skin playing and bathing in the water, and he is not commendable if he does not have red eyes and roar and rush over.

While twenty-four eyes stared at the graceful body of the exotic beauty, a pair of purple eyes quickly searched for the person he was looking for. Sogre spotted Semmelwes and the others in a corner of the riverbank, and he woke up Draco, who was focused on the view, and told him to remind others that he had reached the captive personnel.

"Three gentlemen, it seems that our worries about you are completely unnecessary." Saugland quickly circled behind the captive.

"Lord Luce!?" The three lucky captives were all taken aback, and all their attention just now was of course on the beautiful scenery in the water, so it was naturally impossible to detect Thorgrande's movements. Thorgrande's words made them ashamed.

"I could have let you enjoy it a little longer." As he spoke, Thorgrande drew his dagger and prepared to untie the three captives.

"Please stop laughing at us." The non-commissioned officer among the captives said that as a soldier, it was a great shame for the non-commissioned officer to be captured by a group of women like this, and to have to let Thorgrande come to their rescue.

"Not an example, gentlemen." Saugland said, cutting the ropes of the three men.

Just as the Pharians were about to flee silently, there was a commotion in the river. Thorgrande looked into the river and saw only a young woman giving instructions to her companion. Her expression was serious and wary. The women ran to the shore where their weapons had been placed.

"Lord Luce!" Semmelwes shouted.

"Ah, we've been discovered." Sogrend said this lightly.

"Isn't it time for us to retreat?" The non-commissioned officer asked.

"In theory, that's how it should be." By the time Sogrend had finished answering, he had already run out.

Indeed, theoretically, it is right to run away as soon as possible at this time, but Saugland has to take into account that the other party is more familiar with the terrain than himself, and he is afraid that less than half of the people who can really evacuate in the right direction can disperse and escape. In addition, since there are aborigines on this island, it is very likely that they have other reinforcements. In this case, it is better to take resolute action while they are showing a flaw.

The chief-like woman was unaware of the danger that her companions had all left her in the short time since she had given her instructions, and that she could not immediately receive support from her companions. Sogrand saw this flaw, so he decided to "capture the thief and capture the king".

The woman in the river reacted commendably to the unexpected attack, and instead of turning to face Sogrend, she jumped straight to the side to avoid Sogrend's attack. However, Sogrend had already foreseen her dodging moves. So, he flew up and kicked a pebble out of the shore.

The woman let out a muffled grunt, and the stone struck the side of her forehead accurately. By the time she had recovered from the pain and dizziness, Sogre had come up and put the moon around her neck.

"Who are you?" Pure continental dialect, which made Sogrend slightly surprised.

"It's just a passerby." Thorgrande replied with a smile.

The woman below snorted coldly and turned her head away.

"Alright, please give the order for the ladies to put away their bows and arrows and javelins, and it will be good for both of us." Since the other party can speak mainland Mandarin, it should be able to negotiate.

"Do as he says." The woman commanded.

There was a sound of equipment behind Thorgrande, and he nodded in satisfaction, "Now, then, please get up slowly, and walk that way." Thorgrande pointed to the shore.

The other party was very cooperative, even if the kidnapper didn't say the traditional line of "don't play tricks", because the woman had read a similar meaning from Sogrend's eyes, and judging from the situation just now, she didn't think she would have a chance to escape from this man's abduction.

"Put your clothes on." "Well, I don't really mind you being naked, though it will cause me a lot of trouble. If you don't mind being stared at like this, then I didn't say it. ”

The woman glared at him fiercely, and took the garment that the other had picked up in front of her with her sword. Although the hot climate makes the inhabitants of the area poorly clothed, a people who can speak the common language of the mainland will not lack the basic system of a civilized society.

By this time the Phalensins had quickly rallied to the edge of Saugland; On the other hand, it is also approaching some distance from the Pharisens. Both sides clenched their weapons and prepared for battle.

"We're not here to make trouble, I'm just trying to make sure our people are safe......" Sogrend was trying to find out about the matter peacefully, and then hurried back to camp to repair the boat and set off from the island to Efini.

"Is your name Saugland Leus?" The other party suddenly interrupted his tirade and made such an inquiry.

"Uh...... If you're talking about a Pharian, I'm afraid you're down there. ”

Although more than ninety percent of the group of Farencians behind him would get single-digit scores on the Continental Mandarin test, they could at least understand the woman's questioning.

"Wow, Lord Luce's reputation is really great, I've even heard of him in this kind of place." Someone whispered in amazement.

"It's normal, those women like to ask about heroes, brave men, handsome guys, and so on."

"Women all over the world are like that."

"Hey, hey, Lord Luce is really very feminine."

In this regard, it was later concluded that the Falensi army in the era of the god of war had a deep tradition of gossip, which may be one of the reasons why they were quite strong on a spiritual level.

"Sisters, this person is Lord Thorgrande Leus!" Immediately there was a burst of screams from the other side.

Under the gossip of friendly forces and the nymphomaniac attacks of enemy troops, Sogrand was suddenly completely ineffective.

"Uh...... How do you know? He asked, almost groaning.

"The hilt of the ivory, the purple crystal, the crescent-like blade, and my purple eyes, this should be basically certain."

"That's true." Only then did Thorgrande notice that the linen wrapped around the hilt of the Yayue Sword had torn open, revealing the purple crystal on it.

"In that case, can we safely go back to our camp?" While Sogrend doesn't like the feeling of being sought-after, he can take it with equanimity if it brings tangible benefits.

"Nope." The other party categorically refused, which made the Farensi suddenly nervous. "Unless we can entertain you once as the host, it can be regarded as our sincerity to clear up the misunderstanding between the two sides."

Thorgrande touched his chin and thought about it, he couldn't rule out the possibility that the other party had set a bigger trap, after all, the Pharians didn't know anything about this place. But a hasty refusal also risks undermining the prospects for peaceful coexistence.

"It's better than fighting with your back to the sea, anyway." Thorgrande muttered to himself.

So the Pharansis accepted the invitation, much to the delight of both sides. The woman who was the leader introduced herself to Sogre - her name was Nataya, and she was the chief martial artist of the Arlan tribe who lived on the island of Arland. As for why they speak Continental Mandarin, it is because their ancestors were remnants of the empire who drifted to this island after the collapse of the Yartikat Empire. Even the name "Arland" was chosen out of nostalgia for the empire and the continent. The political structure of the island is also quite similar to that of the Empire, they have a monarch and a senate, the monarch does not enjoy absolute power, and the senate is usually more powerful.

Sogrand felt that the other party's introduction seemed to be hiding something, but he didn't particularly care, and he could understand the truth that "family ugliness is not publicized".

After a short journey, in the evening the Farencians finally came across the town of the Arlans, a town with a strong Altikat Empire style. It's hard to imagine how they could have built so many stone buildings on such an isolated island, and Sogre later learned that many of them were made of volcanic ash.

The Pharians were warmly received here, but Thorgrande noticed that there were only women of Arlan at the banquet, and that none of the men came out to greet them. Others apparently prefer to be entertained by passionate beauties rather than care if there's anything wrong with it.

Most people drink a lot of wine, and the fruit wine here is very sweet and not very strong, so it makes people drink it without moderation. Thorgrande couldn't help but shake his head and smile bitterly as he watched his companions being helped down to rest by the young girls, after all, they had just experienced a hellish storm, and it was tolerable for them to be so greedy.

"Lord Ruce, would you like to drink some more?" Nataya sat down beside him with a jar.

"No, it's getting late, I should go and rest." Thorgrande replied with a smile, and he stood up neatly. Leighton the Great once stated that he hated alcoholics, and Thorgrande was 100 percent positive of this view.

"I'll take you to the resting room." Seeing this, Natya put down the bottle and said.

"Then you're in for you."

The two of them walked through the corridor one after the other, half of the silver moon hanging in the clear night sky, the cool sea breeze swept through the trees, and the shadows of the trees danced gracefully in the moonlight. Sogrend stretched, put his arms behind his head, and leisurely followed Nataya.

"It doesn't seem like there are so many mosquitoes here." Suddenly he said that.

"That's because we've planted mosquito repellent plants around the house." Nataya looked back and smiled.

"I see, so I can get a good night's sleep."

"It's still a long night." Nataya replied meaningfully.

The two came to the door of a room, and Sogrend said goodnight to each other, and opened the curtain and walked in. But as soon as he entered the room, he noticed that there was another person inside, almost the instinct of a warrior. When he tried to pull back from the room and ask Natya if she had led him to the wrong place, he felt a soft body lean up behind him.

"Miss Nataya, what's going on?" Thorgrande asked quietly.

"Lord Luce, please don't think that we have any ill will towards you. If it were you, Your Majesty and I would be willing. Nataya said with a hint of pleading.

Sogrend was a grown man, and he certainly understood what he meant.

"I think you'd better tell me the details first, or I won't be able to do anything for you." Sogrend let go of Nataya's wrapping arms.

"Well, Your Majesty, please come and meet Lord Luce."

A petite figure stepped out of the darkness, and Sogre could see the other side clearly. It's still a child, Thorgrande sighed inwardly.

"This is the monarch of your country?" Sogrend asked.

"Penthehilea, this is my name." The little girl replied, "Does Lord Luce dislike me?" ”

"It's not a question of liking or not, first of all, you're too young, you're not even much older than my daughter."

"I'm 13 years old, not young." Penthehilia was a little dissatisfied.

"I guess I'd better tell me what the hell is going on."

"Well, as you wish." "With the collapse of the Articut Empire, our ancestors came across the ocean to this island, and this is a good place to live. Just as our ancestors were glad they had found a paradise, they discovered a very serious, fatal problem – we could barely have boys. Without boys, the entire population would eventually go extinct. So our ancestors began to plunder the population from the outside, and in order to keep the offspring excellent, women began to pick and choose from men. The royal family is especially interested in this. ”

Nataya stroked Penthehilea's little head and continued, "By now, the Senate has become very paranoid in this matter. We always have to give birth to the next generation, and as an identity like me and Your Majesty, we don't have the right to decide who the father of our children is. It just so happened that you were here, and of course the Senate knew about your reputation, so they told us two, to be precise, that we had to spend the night with you. They have even decided that if Your Majesty does not conceive your child, they will depose her. If Your Majesty is able to have your daughter, then she will keep her throne and that child will be determined as the future king. ”

"If what you say is true, I am essentially willing to help you, a normal man would not refuse a beautiful girl like you." "But I already have a wife, and I swear to be faithful to her forever," said Thorgrande. ”

"What about me?" Penthehilia asked.

"You are too young, my Majesty." Sogrend laughed.

"So that means you like older ones?"

"That's not what you mean, Your Majesty......" said Thorgrande.

"Take this, in another three years, and when I turn 16, you must come again." Penthehilia untied something from her neck and stuffed it to Sogrend, who saw that it was a round and translucent black pearl.

"Well, I'll come and congratulate you myself when you turn 16." Thorgrande put away the black pearl.

"And what are you going to do?" Nataya asked.

"You can stay in my room until dawn, and I don't care how you want to play the show." Thorgrande said, walking over to the bed, placing the moon on the bed, and then lay down in a small area separated by the sword. "I'll sleep on this side, and you two on the other side, this bed is fortunately big enough."

Sogrend fell asleep on his side, naturally he couldn't see whether the two girls were looking at each other in each other's eyes, whether it was disappointment or some other emotion.

The Phalansi, indulged in wine, and were delayed for two days. Thorgrande was already aware of the special customs of the island, so he did not reprimand his subordinates, and forced them to leave the temporary gentle country by forceful means. On the third day, everyone begged Sogrand to take them out of the place quickly. Although the Arlans were somewhat reluctant to them, the Senate apparently believed that their purpose had been achieved, and therefore did not retain the Pharyns. In this way, Thorgrande led his men, who were already weak-footed, to spend a day in the jungle before returning to his camp.