The next morning, Jinhu Lake City woke up in the white light again. With the arrival of winter, it became clear that it became colder. Just climbing out of the bed was already annoying, not to mention that the entire town was still shrouded in the shadow of the army of monsters being about to invade. Whether it was the soldiers in the barracks or the residents behind the city walls, people were still worried about whether they would be killed by monsters while they were still sleeping.

The sentry wrapped in a thick blanket looked up and looked into the distance. The arrival of the dawn light in the east made them breathe a sigh of relief. The shift change came. The scouts and sentries were the most laborious among all people before the war came. They were preparing and alert, but no one complained, because they knew it was useless to say it. The scouts were scouts, and the sentinels were sentinels, and their duties were.

The players in the mercenary camp got out of the bed early, and the speculators who rushed from the south were blocked outside the city gate, which was unexpected to them, because the players who expected this situation had given up their plan to travel north early. However, even this could not stop them from chasing interests, so they began to set up street stalls in the camp. As more and more people set up street stalls, the mercenary market gradually became somewhat similar. Not only the players in the city came to hear the news, but even the NPCs in the military camp next to them would join in the fun.

The way for the guards at the gate of the city to distinguish the new mercenaries from the mercenaries in the south and those who were originally in the city was to "hunting certificates". Although the patrolling guards checked the mercenaries after the news that the monster had been killed gradually spread in the city, the number of times the patrol guards checked the mercenaries was reduced, but this kind of thing that originally made people think was useless was sold at a high price in the mercenary market. After all, no one knows when the monsters will be killed. If they can be in the city wall, they can obviously live longer. If they live longer, they will be more likely to persist until the end of the map mission and then receive the reward.

So when Anthony just walked into the mercenary camp, someone came up immediately, "Hey, brother," the man looked at Anthony, "Brother, it's very dangerous to be so thin here. How about it? Do you want a hunting certificate? With this thing, you can go into the city and squat until the mission is over and get the reward for nothing!"

Are I stupid? Anthony looked at the person disdainfully, and then said impatiently: "I came out of the city." Although the map mission can be rewarded as long as you participate, the merits of the reward still depend on the "record". For example, some map missions require players to take things that prove their achievements to the NPC officer to collect them. Generally, wars use organs such as the enemy's ears to calculate the "record". However, this behavior is too bloody. Players only need to get close to the corpse to perform "fake actions" to automatically put the items required by the task into their backpack.

"Come from the city?" The man blinked, then turned from Anthony's left to the right, "So do you have anything you want to buy? I'm familiar with the stalls here! Just give me a copper coin and I can tell you where you want!"

"No, no need." Anthony looked indifferent to the man. Anthony had always disdained to talk to him for such a person who obviously looked like a profiteer.

"Ah, then I understand! Brother is here to collect intelligence, right?" The man immediately turned to Anthony's left, "A coincidence! I just happened to work as a part-time intelligence businessman! Brother has anything to ask if you want to ask! As long as the price is right, I must be talking about everything!"

This aroused Anthony's interest. He looked at the man in front of him, with black curly hair and a long-blade sword on his back. His cunning eyes made people know at a glance that he was not a fuel-efficient lamp.

"What information do you know?" Anthony asked curiously.

"Brother, you ask the right person!" The man slapped his face, "Come on, please come on here!" This was his invitation position. Anthony raised his head and saw a street stall with a rag roof over there. He couldn't help but smile, then nodded, followed the man over. The man sat down opposite Anthony's table without hesitation. He raised two fingers, "Uncle Ryan, a cup of stone stove special brew! A cup of draft beer!"

After a while, a strong uncle walked over with two mugs, his face turned red, and he obviously drank alcohol himself, "Boy Walin! You haven't paid the money you owe last night!"

"Isn't this here to pay back the money? I'll pay it back later! Hey! Give me a draft beer!" Varin pushed the Stone Fort Brew to Anthony's table with dissatisfaction, and then took the draft beer from the uncle.

"Hmph!" Uncle Ryan's black-haired Wallin glanced at Anthony, "How about it, young man, do you want to have some good weapons? Uncle, I am a superior blacksmith from Shilu Fort. The weapons and armor that pass by me are all high-quality goods!"

When Anthony heard that the wine seller wanted to sell his weapons, he couldn't help laughing: "You still buy weapons here?"

"Oh, stop talking!" Uncle Blacksmith sat down next to the table without any hesitation. "The lord came to summon craftsmen to log wood early this morning, saying that he would rush to build the city-guarding equipment. The owner of this street stall and tavern followed him to join in the fun. Who made his professional skills of "logging" high? As soon as he talked about cutting wood, he became excited and followed the group of guys to the hillside." As he said, Uncle Ryan pointed to the bottom of the hillside not far away, where the trees that had originally grown had turned into wooden stakes, and it might be the same as going up. "I finally rushed over from the south, and I planned to give myself a half-day vacation and wait until I had enough rest before starting work."

"Uncle Ryan, it's not right for you?" Varin, who was standing beside him, showed an impatient look, "We are talking about business here!"

"Boy! You're like this when you're on credit?!" Uncle Ryan glared at him, but still stood up. Then he looked at Anthony, "Enjoy it!" Then he glared at Valin again, and then walked to the counter to look at the barrel. Anthony turned around and looked at him. There was a carpet filled with weapons and armor next to the counter, which made him want to laugh.

"This uncle is a good person, but his mouth is a little smelly." After Uncle Ryan walked away, Varin murmured to Anthony.

You are almost the same? Although Anthony thought so, he didn't say it. After all, he was not here to argue with someone. "Tell me the serious business," Anthony raised his eyes and looked at the cunning black-haired mercenary in front of him. "What information do you have to sell?"

"It depends on what information you need, brother! Don't look at me like this, you know much more than you think. Just ask, and I will definitely tell you everything!" As he said that, Varin made a gesture of money.

"Hmph! What kind of stinky information is just some messy things I heard when I wander around this camp at night!" Uncle Ryan, not far away, suddenly sneered disdainfully.

"Stinky blacksmith! If you do this, I will leave directly! You can't imagine how much you can get for this meal!" Varin cursed at the blacksmith uncle with a red face. Originally, Anthony thought the two were going to quarrel, but the irritable blacksmith uncle didn't reply. Anthony turned around and saw that someone was coming to buy the equipment he sold.

"Absolutely affordable!" He patted his chest and promised the person who wanted to buy equipment.

"So," Anthony took out a silver coin from his cloak pocket, "Let me hear if you can give me any useful news, and let's talk about other things." Anthony said, pressing the silver coin on the table. In the Kingdom, twenty copper plates could be exchanged for a silver helmet coin, with a helmet with wings carved on it. It is said that this emblem had been used before the founding of the Kingdom, but the family that used this emblem was destroyed at that time, but because this silver coin was the most circulating, it was used like this.

"This..." Varin was obviously stumped by Anthony, but his eyes were always on the silver coin, which meant that he had not given up. "Then let me tell you the latest information about the guy who was driving a single-handed boss in the city who was driving a cheat-only challenge to the boss!"

"Oh?" Anthony suddenly became interested, "Let's hear." He picked up the mug.

"I heard - no," Varin shook his head and changed his words immediately, "As far as I know, this guy who singled out the boss is probably the wanted bandage male killer in the city!"

"Puff!" Anthony squirted out the wine in one sip, and laughter came from Uncle Ryan behind him.

"How about it, this wine is so good!"

"Cough, cough cough!" Anthony wiped the wine from his mouth, then turned around and nodded awkwardly at him, "Yes, yes!" Then he looked at Walin again, "This kind of news has been spreading throughout the city long ago."

"How could I use such a mess of information to fool customers!" Varin looked serious, as if he was angry because Anthony questioned his professionalism. "Of course I have my exclusive information!"

"Oh? Exclusive information?" Anthony raised his eyebrows.

Then Varin leaned forward and signaled Anthony to come over. Although Anthony was a little reluctant, he still came over. Then Varin whispered: "But according to the information I have learned, this bandaged man may not be the murderer described in the wanted order!"

"What does it mean?" Anthony nodded slightly, waiting for Valin to continue.

"Look, what is the reason why the bandage man was wanted? It was because the old dean in the church was killed! What a big deal! If it weren't for the winter and the crisis was coming, the church might have come to seek guilt. Although the remote Jinhu City is not as afraid of the church as the southern capital, it may still be afraid of the church's power. And they were able to issue a wanted order at the same time as the news of the old dean's death. It was really shocking to say that it was so quick that I couldn't help but wonder if this man was really the so-called murderer? Or was he just taken out by the lord to calm the church's anger?"

"How did this so-called bandage man be wanted after he was wanted? He disappeared for three days and did not appear in the boss battle on the streets of the old city on the night of the third day. During these three days, the guards in the city were searching for his traces, but nothing was found."

"Where did you hear this?" Anthony suddenly felt that he underestimated the man in front of him.

"Don't worry about this, I'll continue to say it. What makes people feel most strange about this is the current attitude of the guards. Because the street bosses had conflicts with the mercenaries a few days ago during the war. The next day, the duke issued a pardon order that the mercenaries and guards should not clash again, otherwise they would be hung directly. Since then, many people have seen men wearing cloaks, white masks, and vaguely bandaged on their bodies walking sneakily on the street. Some people even went to the guards to report the guy's hiding point, but the guards ignored them at all!"

Someone went to report Joel?! Anthony's heart sank. Although Anthony knew that there would be such players when Orson killed the game that night, he still didn't expect that those guys would act much faster than he thought.

"Maybe it's just because the monsters are approaching, the guards are planning to ignore these things for the time being?" Anthony said pretending to be puzzled.

"No, I guess there is another possibility than these." Varing paused, "Since you came out of the city, then you should know what happened last night, right?"

"Are you talking about the riot in the old city?" Anthony frowned. The matter was over immediately when he heard about it. When he approached, he saw the guards confronting the residents holding torches and wooden sticks. He could see the streets in the distance emitting flames. No one could explain the reason for the riot. Some people said that the nobles killed the residents first, while others said that the panic residents wanted to threaten the nobles to hand over the duke's daughter - this is another rumor.

"Yes, because it is expected that as the trolls attacked, the uneasy or panicked residents might do such a thing, the lord let a 'killer' run rampant in his territory, so that these residents would not dare to wander around after nightfall. And have you noticed that although the news of the monster's death at night has spread all over the city, the inner castle has not announced any related news, and even the curfew has not ended. I guess they wanted to use the terrifying shadow that has covered Jin Falls for several months to continue to settle these impulsive residents so that they can concentrate more on dealing with the coming threat."

"This is just your speculation." Anthony said, frowning at Valin.

"Yes, speculation. Let me say another one," Walin took a sip of the draft beer in the cup and smiled proudly. "As far as I know, the Duke of Jin Falls is a good lord who sympathizes with civilians. After the monster appeared at night, he strengthened the patrol force in the city, and repeatedly increased the monster's bounty. So the question is, why did such a good lord who cares about the lives of the people suddenly allow bandage men, a murderer who even a monk like the old dean, wander in his territory?"

"And I heard that he was a strict lord, and his people abide by the law, otherwise they would have to face his rope. Will such a strict lord let a murderer go?"

"There are many possibilities," Anthony said.

"Yes, and one of them may be, 'Lord knows that this bandage man is not as harmful as the legend says, because he is just a scapegoat chosen to calm the anger of the church', so he has always been strict with letting this 'terrifying killer' wander around the city. This is consistent with my previous speculation."

"Interesting reasoning," Anthony praised, and then he asked with a smile, "But this is just a speculation? Can such things be sold as intelligence?"

"It's up to one's own opinion!" Varin shrugged, but Anthony kept noticing that his eyes were difficult to leave the silver coin. "But I have to give you a suggestion. Don't challenge that guy for the little reward on the wanted order. This person may have really cheated, otherwise he also has the strength of almost cheats."

"Interesting! Very interesting!" Anthony felt that he had changed his vision of this cunning mercenary who looked like a clever businessman. Sure enough, can't he look good? Anthony took out two silver coins from his pocket and then folded them on the first silver coins. "This time I really want to buy some useful information from you!"

"Hehe, I like generous customers." As Varin said, he smiled sly, and he picked up the glass and touched Anthony's glass, then took a sip of draft beer by himself, but Anthony did not bang the glass of wine again.

"So, sir, what news do you want to ask for?" Varin asked after putting down the cup.

"Information about...the wizard." Anthony stared at Valin's face as he said, wanting to see if this guy really knew anything, and Valin didn't let him down and showed a treacherous smile.

"This news... needs to be added to some more money."

...

Although the time had just arrived at noon, the sky was white, and with the arrival of winter, the day gradually shortened, and the strongest moment of the day also made people feel no warmth. The children ran around the streets, singing strange children's songs, and after Meka heard the words "The cold winter is coming, and then the killing will start". The children had already run away.

Although it had just arrived at noon, Meka had arrived at the Neiburg for the third time today. When Kadiya came the first two times, she was not awake. The old maid who was responsible for taking care of her told her that the lady had just fallen asleep shortly before dawn. She was troubled by nightmares for a nightmare, and finally fainted from exhaustion. "No dreams," the maid said to Meka, as if complaining, "Poor Miss, I swear I watched her grow up, but I have never seen her in such pain."

Everyone in the inner castle loved this proud lady. Meka thought that although she had only met a few times, Meka could recall her smiling face. She didn't expect that the beautiful scenery would disappear so soon, which made her sigh.

This time, Meka forced Kaserba to come to the inner castle. Kaserba originally didn't want to come. "There is nothing more heartbreaking than watching the flowers wither." She complained.

"Shh! Where is there 'withering'? She's just sick!" Meka looked at Kasperba as if she was a little angry, "Don't let the people in the inner castle hear you say this!"

"Yes, yes, yes." Kassba put on her signature red-skinned hat, with the large white feathers on it shaking slightly.

The two walked into the inner castle, and no guard stopped them. The red and blue cloaks showed their identities. After that night, everyone in the inner castle knew that the "Scarlet Rose" with a red hat saved the duke's life. The brave female swordsman was surrounded by a beautiful witch. The male servants looked at them more fearful, while the females looked at them in awe.

The two of them came to the door of the lady's room led by the servants, and guards were guarding them. They were all old guards, with numb but alert eyes, neither sad nor happy, neither humble nor arrogant, without any reaction. "Wait a moment," the maid said respectfully to them, "I'll inform the lady."

After a while, the maid gently pushed open the door, then poked out half of her head, and she whispered to them: "Please be sure to whisper a little, the lady is a little...weak now."

The two nodded and followed the maid into the room. They had never been to Kadiya's room, but they felt that this room was completely different from what they imagined: the books on the bookshelf were taken away, the new tablecloth had just been replaced on the round table, and the baskets containing fruits were not too late to be placed. Everything was either replaced neatly or messy, as if they were kicked over by roughly.

Kadiya lay on the bed, raised her gray eyes with a faint green look and looked at them. Her originally soft and golden hair was also messy, and her face was very embarrassed, but when she saw the red hat and white feathers, she subconsciously squeezed out a smile. It was a smile with sunshine, but it was far less brilliant than before.

"Hi." The first person to speak was Kaserba. Meka noticed that although she was reluctant before coming, she immediately showed her most common smile after entering the room.

"Hi," Kadiya was obviously amused by her. Looking at her smile, even Meka, who had only met her several times, felt a little distressed, "I'm sorry I can't..."

"No, no, no, that's fine, you need a good rest." Kasperba walked over, the maid wanted to say something, but opened her mouth but didn't say anything, and finally just closed her mouth.

"I'm very...sorry," Kadiya shook her head slightly. Her eyes drooped as she spoke, as if she could fall asleep at any time. Her voice was also weak, "I haven't had time to thank you for saving my father."

"The responsibility lies." Kasperba naturally sat down next to Kadiya, and Kadiya was not at all strange. But according to the servant, she would obviously be nervous if anyone approached Kadiya.

"You are always so awesome." Kadiya smiled at Kasperba, "just like in the story."

Kasperba pushed out a smile to respond, and she could only shake her head slightly but couldn't say anything.

Meka walked over and took out the thing from her pocket. "Kadia." Meka called softly, her eyes looking at her.

"What is that, Ms. Meka?" Kadiya looked at the thing in her hand curiously.

Meka looked down at the thing in her hand, then handed it to Kasperba, who also looked at the thing, and finally handed it to her under Kadiya's expectant gaze.

"A ring!" Kadiya said in surprise, but her voice was so weak that it made people almost unable to feel her joy. "Did you give it to me?"

"Of course." Meka said with a smile. Don't tell her. The man with a bandage on his face said when he handed the ring to Meka. I heard that she is very...sensitive to men now. If that's the case, don't tell her that I gave it to her.

Kadiya lowered her head and turned the simple ring with both hands.

"Who gave it to me?" Kadiya suddenly asked, looking at the ring.

Meka looked at Kaserba, and after Kaserba looked at her, she seemed to want to say something.

"Let me guess," Kadiya picked up the ring and leaned over her nose and sniffed it. "It smells like...I've smelled this before."

"Thank you, this is a great gift." Kadiya smiled and looked at the two ladies of the Ghost Sword Brigade, then put the ring on her hand. "It... thanks very much. No matter who gave it, I hope you can tell him, I'm very happy."
Chapter completed!