Author: Conquer people with virtue

Clay whispered the name of the building.

This building looks unremarkable from the outside. It is just a relatively ordinary two-story building, covering an area of ​​about 700 to 800 square meters.

Different from the bustling city square, this place is only located in the southwest corner of Platinum Crown City, so there are not many pedestrians on the road.

Although it looks very desolate, Platinum Crown City is a newly built city after all. The houses in the city are all brand new and the roads are clean.

A wooden sign with the words "Veteran's Home" written in colorful paint was fixed at the door of the small building, which was a bit inexplicable.

But Clay knew that this building was not as lonely as it looked from the outside. Just standing outside the door made his heart feel hot.

Walking to the door, Clay gently pushed open the heavy wooden door. From the moment the door opened through a crack, a completely different atmosphere hit him.

"Old Bidden! Can you do it? You're moaning like a girl!"

"Centurion Biden, give him some color!"

"Don't make trouble, everyone, Biden is not young, and he is facing a young man, so he will inevitably be arrogant. This is unfair, unfair."

"I'm telling you, if you keep talking like this, it seems like old Biden will be buried soon! When we were fighting Molten Hammer City a while ago, I saw with my own eyes that old Biden could charge two dwarves by himself!"

As soon as he entered, the fiery atmosphere immediately enveloped Clay. The wind and snow outside the door did not affect the inside of the house at all, but made the place even more lively.

Clay just smiled knowingly when he heard the noise in the house, and then closed the door smoothly.

The layout of the house looks very similar to that of most pubs. As soon as you enter, you will see a short entrance, and as you walk inside, it will suddenly open up. There are wine tables placed everywhere on the floor, and there is a large bar at the end, close to the east wall.

There is a wooden staircase leading to the second floor, and there is a fireplace in the room to provide warmth to the veterans' home.

Contrary to the seemingly unattended appearance outside, there were a lot of people inside the Veterans Home. At this time, most of the wine tables were already occupied, and people were gathered around them. Even people were standing on the stairs.

The two men looked down.

This is the Veterans Home, which looks no different from a pub or a hotel, just like its name. This place is not actually open to the public. Everyone who can come here is a soldier serving in the Osfeld Army.

Yes, the Veterans Home is actually a club for military personnel. Whether they are soldiers on the front lines, commanders of the central army, logistics officers who transfer supplies, or even military clerks who handle paperwork in military accounts, etc.

, everyone can come here to chat, drink and relieve stress.

"Hey, big guy, look who's here?"

As soon as Clay came in, he naturally attracted the attention of many people. Most of the people who came here often were acquaintances, so they didn't have to worry about anyone sneaking in.

As for the new recruits who come here for the first time? Come on, how can someone who doesn’t know about it find it here, so usually new recruits come here with an acquaintance to guide them.

Clay knew them naturally and nodded to say hello. He didn't need to care too much about the rules when he came here, so he relaxed a lot.

The sound he heard when he opened the door came from the largest group of people gathered together in the center of the venue. Clay took two steps forward and looked at everything at a glance.

"I heard you guys arguing when I first came in, and it turned out that you were inciting people to compete in strength." Clay smiled and joined the crowd.

"I'm not old yet!"

In the middle of the crowd was a wine table, with two officers, an old man and a young man, sitting there.

The old man is Biden. He is a hobgoblin about the same height as a human and is currently a centurion. Although he is wearing a more casual cotton military uniform, his strong physique can still be seen. Only from the ravines and skin on his face

It can be seen that he is indeed not young anymore. In human years, he is probably close to forty years old.

Opposite him is a young-looking jackal, whose gray-white hair looks shiny and smooth under the light. The hobgoblin's physique is already relatively good at fighting, but compared to his reputation for war,

The war-loving gnolls are a little worse.

Compared with Biden, the young jackal has a stronger physique, his eyes are bright and he looks very energetic.

Standing next to Clay was a green lizard man. He knew Clay and introduced him: "This young jackal is a newcomer who joined recently. You went to fight Hammer City at that time."

"His name is Solo, and he is the captain of ten."

"Being a captain of ten at such a young age is incredible. You have a bright future." Clay praised.

His words aroused the interest of many veterans, so he shouted into the field: "Solo! Captain Clay has taken a fancy to you. If you perform well, maybe he will transfer you to become a centurion!"

"You guys." Clay shook his head helplessly. There is really nothing he can do against these people.

But he knew that everyone was joking. This was the atmosphere here, and there was no need to take it seriously.

In the veterans' home, everyone deliberately downplays the presence of official positions. It is necessary to tighten up in the army. It is too tiring to do the same thing when you come here.

Otherwise, as a subordinate, Solo would dare to compete with Biden anyway?

When he heard everyone joking, Solo's eyes flashed, and his fighting spirit burned brightly. Although he knew it was a joke, it still inspired him.

"Captain Clay is actually here..." Solo thought to himself.

Even here, Clay's name is not small. In other words, in most places in the Osfir army, Clay's name has been heard more or less.

This is a man who has received weapons from Lord Theos, and has participated in almost all wars, large and small, from the beginning of Osfir's founding to the present. He can be said to be a living legend.

So, under the constant booing from everyone, Big Diji Biden and Solo finally got into a stance - arm wrestling!

"Ready, start!"

"Biden! Biden!"

"Zolo! Let that old guy know what young people are!"

As soon as the game started, the arms of the two men immediately swelled, their hands were clenched, and their blood vessels bulged. Biden's face, which was already red, turned red instantly, and it was obvious that he had exerted all his strength.

But even though Biden tried his best, the balance of victory still fell in favor of the opponent.

With a "plop", the back of Biden's hand was slapped onto the table.

"I lost." Biden shook his head and took a long breath. He put away his hand and shook it to let the blood flow back.

It's no good to refuse to accept old age. Young people are still young after all.

Before Biden could say anything, the old guys next to him who had been fighting the fire just a moment ago grabbed him and said, "Oh, drink, drink, drink!"

Everyone gradually dispersed and went to drink and chat. Clay was also about to have a drink with his friends, but unexpectedly he was stopped by someone.

"Sir Clay!" Solo called back.

"Good performance, but there is no need to call you sir here." Clay smiled and gave the young man an encouragement. However, he was not very tall, only reaching the jackal's chest, and he had to raise his head to see.

Solo also realized his offense and quickly took a step back, secretly blaming himself: "Oops, I was so happy that I forgot about this!"

Because Osfir's racial composition is complex, it is not uncommon for kobolds, dwarves, and goblins to become high-level officials. Therefore, when subordinates meet with them, they will usually deliberately stay one or two steps away to avoid offending them. This is also considered Osfir.

Phil's special unwritten rules.

"Ah, it's nothing, don't worry about it." Clay didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and just taught the other person to relax.

"What do you want from me?"

Unexpectedly, Clay was so friendly, and Solo quickly forgot about the embarrassment just now. He just admired Clay's experience, but in fact, he didn't have anything to ask. He just felt that he had something to say when he saw the usual topic hero.

What, just found it.

But after calling Clay, he didn't know what to say: "Actually, it's nothing..."

"Come on, do a good job!"

Clay didn't know how to deal with this situation, so he just encouraged him and left. Solo was left scratching his head.

Not long after he joined the army, he quickly stood out and became captain of ten by virtue of his excellence in all aspects. It can be said that he is very proud of himself. Although he still strictly obeys the orders of ordinary superior officers, he does not agree with them in his heart.

It's just that this attitude can't be mentioned when facing Clay. His resume is simply legendary. He is a true elite in all battles. It can be said that he is a role model for all soldiers only under those at the highest level in the army.

The meeting scene between veteran Clay and young man Solo is just a small episode in Clay's life.

He didn't know that his image in the hearts of young soldiers was so glorious, but in fact, everyone may not know that he did not think of himself as a so-called warrior.

In the relaxed and warm atmosphere of the Veterans Home, Clay drank two glasses of wine. His long-term nervousness gradually eased. With the influence of alcohol, his mood became much more relaxed.

He and his friends played guessing games, drank together, and sang together.

After two hours passed, the drinking activities gradually stopped, and the officers and veterans in the veterans' home came out of the house together in twos and threes.

The wind and snow stopped and it was already dark in the afternoon. All the veterans had a lot of things on hand. Some brought a few bottles of wine, some brought some finely ground flour, and Clay also brought some food.

These things have been purchased by the Veterans Home a long time ago. By the way, the funding source of the Veterans Home is raised by all members.

The committee did not provide any support in this regard. The only support was to approve their application. This is not to blame for the committee not supporting the soldiers' spare time life, but that the committee's funds have other uses...

The veterans carried their things and set off together. After walking for more than half an hour, they arrived at the other end of the street, where there was a larger campus.

It seems that this is a complex of buildings that occupies a large area. It is surrounded by a railing about two meters high on the outside, and there are two-story buildings on the inside. There are not more than twenty or thirty buildings.

This kind of building layout is an official institution at first glance, because except for the committee who can plan like this, no one can have such a large "yard".

The veterans walked in together. The guard at the gate obviously knew them and did not ask too many questions to stop them.

This is a real "veteran's home" established by the committee. All those who survived the war and were injured and lost the ability to live independently will be placed here and managed uniformly. The committee will support them until they die.

Clay and the others often come here to visit and give them some help. Of course, they don't actually need any help in terms of material things. Osfill officials have made good arrangements. They come here more for companionship and visitation.

As soon as they arrived here, everyone was not so high-spirited. It's just that today is the Midwinter Festival, so of course they have to spend it happily. They came here to make the place lively and lively.

…

The sky is gradually getting darker. Whether it is Platinum Crown City or Molten Hammer City, from the interior to the border, from the various settlement towns in the north to the large manors in the south, little lights are lit.
To be continued...