Chapter 344 Sorry, kid
Winter in the bloody highlands comes earlier than in the Nord province.
It's only halfway through September, and the sky is starting to become gloomy.
Fine snowflakes fall from the sky and fall to the ground like salt powder, making the slightly cyan earth look as charming as a summer dream.
But people who live here all year round have no time to appreciate this kind of scenery.
Since the locust plague last year, the already barren bloody highlands have become increasingly decadent, making life difficult for everyone.
Locust plagues are not inherently deadly.
The output of the bloody highlands is not enough to sustain the livelihood of tens of thousands of horse thieves and hundreds of thousands of civilians.
Even looting is just a side job.
The real source of income for most horse thieves is smuggling.
Bloody Heights' location is unique and privileged.
Southeast, bordering the Nord and Molinier provinces of the Cairns Empire;
To the northeast, it connects the entire Principality of Eivor and the Langqing Province in the southwest of the Insa Empire.
To the west, it faces Slaver's Bay across the sea.
The materials of the four major forces will circulate through the Bloody Highlands, and the prosperous trade routes are the lifeblood of the residents of the Bloody Highlands.
The locust plague outbreak was just a temporary emergency, but what happened next was beyond everyone's expectations.
First of all, because of the war between Keynes and Insa, the two empires tightened their border defenses, and the smuggling trade suffered a huge blow.
Immediately afterwards, Slaver's Bay was also plagued by a locust plague, and food output dropped significantly.
And as Raven invaded the Principality of Eivor, this smuggling route was basically cut off.
The entire bloody highland fell into unprecedented decline.
But not everyone will be unhappy.
"Pa——"
A crisp sound of a riding whip sounded, causing the scattered sheep to gather together again.
Bente put away his riding crop with a faint smile on his lips.
He looked the same as most of the residents in Bloody Highlands. His skin was dark and rosy due to the constant sunlight.
He is clearly in his early 30s, but his face is covered with weather and wrinkles. No one would doubt that he is 50 years old.
The reason why he is so happy is not just because he can own a flock of 15 sheep and a grazing land in this rustwater oasis where everyone is hungry.
The most important thing is that he heard that Lord Raven not only captured the Wall of Sighs, but also defeated Earl Tudor head-on.
There is no way, the intelligence in the Bloody Highlands is always a little slower, Bent has not received the news of Raven's victory in the third war.
Raven's reputation in the Bloody Highlands is no worse than in the Principality of Eivor.
At the beginning, with just over 100 people, it directly chilled the hearts of thousands of horse thieves.
Not to mention the feat of summoning a bone dragon to annihilate 5,000 horse thieves in one fell swoop!
Therefore, when people in Bloody Highlands mentioned Raven, they either hated or feared him.
So why is Bente so happy?
Because he also has a nickname called
"snow cock".
That was the insulting title he received after he fell into a snow pit during the retreat as Raven's scout and was captured by Heleti.
When he was caught by his former colleagues, he originally thought that he would die, but he already accepted his fate.
Unexpectedly, Lord Baron let him go.
But he didn't have the face to stay in the Eagle Army anymore, so he took the initiative to ask for help and stayed in the Bilgewater Oasis, continuing to live as the Baron's eyes and ears.
Over the years, Bent gradually settled down, started a family in Bilgewater Oasis, and had a wife who, although not gentle, was very caring.
Thinking of her, Bente couldn't help but put a smile on his face.
That is a woman who is as full of vitality and enthusiasm for life as a fierce horse. Whether in life or in bed, the two of them are always in perfect harmony.
Thinking of the wheat-colored skin and the powerful long legs developed from years of riding horses, Bente couldn't help but feel hot.
Immediately, the heat turned into a kind of tenderness.
The year before last, they had their own child.
It was a boy, and Bente named him "Mowe" in memory of his comrades who died in the war.
Healthy and lively, he was able to run around when he was 2 years old, and now he can even dance with a wooden knife in a decent manner.
Phew——
The north wind picked up, and the sky became darker and darker.
Bent shrank his neck, whipped up his riding whip again, and drove the sheep towards his hut in the biting wind.
Today is a good day.
The Lord Baron has won consecutive battles. In Bent's opinion, that is the best reward from the gods for a kind person.
She should be killed to celebrate!
His eyes swept across the flock and landed on the fattest one. It had a huge butt and the oil on its tail was so fat that it became a pocket.
Although the bloody highlands are barren, the big-tailed sheep here are outstanding. They don't have any smell at all, and they also have a milky fragrance.
If this is cut off and grilled, it will be crispy on the outside and soft and waxy on the inside. If you bite into the crispy shell, you will have a mouth full of oil, and then pair it with a bowl of steamed spirits——
"Gudong!"
Bente couldn't help but swallowed his saliva and hurried back to his home.
After driving the sheep into the pen, Bent shouted and walked towards the house:
"Dear! Give me the wooden basin quickly, the sheep's blood cannot be wasted!"
Thinking of the warm fire in the house, his frozen toes began to feel numb.
But before he reached the door, he felt something was wrong.
It's so quiet.
It was dark inside the half-open wooden doors.
Usually at this time, a fire pit would have been lit in the house, and Bent's son Morwell would run into his arms regardless of his wife's slightly anxious shouts.
Taking a deep breath, Bente's rough arms grasped the handle of the scimitar at his waist, slowly pulled it out, pressed it against the wall, and moved towards the door.
Just as he was about to approach the wooden door, there was a bang and the door opened.
A man wrapped in a sheepskin coat came out:
"Snow Chicken, you are finally back. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Bente's eyes narrowed: "Why are you here?"
This man's name is "Bluebeard" and he is Firebeard's crony.
Previously, after Firebeard and Gangya were killed by Raven in the Bloody Highlands, he was responsible for unifying the remnants of the two, taking root deep in the Bloody Highlands to spy for Raven.
"Come in and tell us more."
With that said, Blue Beard took the lead in entering the house.
Bente followed in, but did not relax his hand on his waist.
With a click, Arima Thief walked up behind Bent and hung up the door bolt.
Bluebeard lit a torch and threw it into the fire pit, lighting up the entire house.
True to his name, Blue Beard does have a big blue beard, and a big nose that looks like a rotten sweet potato, making people wonder if he has goblin blood.
He was not alone in the room.
There were seven horse thieves squatting in the corner. As the fire light came on, they all stood up and glared at Bente viciously.
Bente's wife and child had been tied up in the corner and their mouths were tightly gagged. Now that they saw Bente coming back, they immediately started to scream.
Especially Bente's son Mowei, who was twisting and struggling so hard that even the horse thief next to him couldn't control himself for a while.
The toy wooden knife had been broken into two pieces and fell to the ground.
Fortunately, they didn't appear to be injured or tortured.
Bente's expression became extremely gloomy:
"Let them go. If anything happens, come to me!"
"Don't worry, as long as we negotiate the terms, we will naturally let them go." Blue Beard sat down at the table and pointed to the seat opposite:
"Please sit down and let's talk slowly."
"No need, just tell me if you have anything to say." Bente said with a cold face.
Blue Beard didn't force it, he picked up the wine bottle on the table and took a sip:
"I am here on behalf of Lord Blood Eyes."
Bente stiffened.
"Blood-Eye" Mongar was once one of the three horse thieves in Bloody Highlands.
In addition to him, there are also "Spider Queen" Avilia and "Crazy Sand" Infic.
Avilia died in the mouth of the bone dragon; Infik was destroyed by Mongar in a fire at the beginning of this year.
In other words, Monngar is now the largest group of horse thieves in the bloody highlands.
"So?" Bent asked: "What does the blood eye thing have to do with me?"
Bluebeard took another sip of wine: "Don't worry, we'll talk about it soon."
"You also know that in the past two years, the brothers in the highlands have had a hard time. They have not been able to eat well or drink well."
"Since Lord Blood Eyes has unified the Bloody Highlands, of course he must seek some benefits for our brothers so that we can at least survive."
"Right now, Eivor is in chaos, and no one who gets involved will be able to benefit from it; let's not talk about the Insa Empire; you, Cairns, and Molinir have not recovered their vitality yet..." "And the Eagle Territory, But there is a great harvest!”
Bente was shocked.
Unexpectedly, these idiots on the bloody highlands would actually attack the Eagle Leader.
"Exactly." Bente showed disdain: "It is true that Lord Raven is out of town now, but you must have heard of the strength of Eagle City."
"Is it possible that he dared to attack just because he had more than 10,000 horse thieves?"
"The Insa Empire shouldn't be able to take action at this time, right?"
"I'm not a good person, but I won't do such a dangerous job."
It seemed like a bargain, but Bent actually wanted to squeeze more information out of Bluebeard's mouth.
I don’t know if he was really fooled or if he didn’t care in the first place, Blue Beard said:
"10,000 people? Then your news is out of date."
"It is true that the Insa Empire behind the Blood-Eyed Boss will not provide support, but now in the Bloody Highlands, everyone has been tortured to the point of having no way out, and they all want to fight with him."
Please...you...Collect_6Ⅰ9ⅠBookⅠ(Six\\\Nine\\\Book\\\!)
"We have not 10,000 men, but..." Bluebeard stretched out a finger, and then popped out two more:
"30,000 people!"
Bente became more and more surprised in his heart, but his face was dismissive:
"Thirty thousand people are just a mob. In the bloody highlands, wood is hard to find. Do you know how to attack the city? Is it possible that your 30,000 cavalry have to dismount and climb hard?"
Even after being provoked by Bente, a trace of excitement flashed across Bluebeard's face:
"Snow Chicken, don't be so shameless. Do you really think that being a dog to Raven means you are superior to others?"
Bente said with a cold face: "Sir Raven is not something you can evaluate. And at least if I follow him, I can survive."
"Follow you and die?"
The corner of Bluebeard's mouth twitched.
If Snow Chicken hadn't come from the Eagle Territory and was familiar with the terrain and customs there, and the Blood Eye boss needed him as a guide, Bluebeard would have chopped Snow Chicken in half!
Suppressing his anger, Bluebeard said patiently:
"I'm not afraid to tell you that this time, it's not just us Bloody Highlanders who are targeting the Nord Province, the 'Pirate General' Joshua from Slaver's Bay will also launch an attack together."
"Not only is he a level 4 powerhouse, he is also a lizardman who is much more powerful than the human race. This time he not only brought 20,000 masters, but also an entire legion of lizardman pirates!"
Lizardmen are intelligent creatures that live in coastal areas. They are members of the sea tribe in a broad sense. They have a majestic body, like a standing crocodile.
Not only is it extremely powerful, but its entire body is covered with hard scales that are difficult to break through with ordinary swords.
Regardless of naval battle or infantry battle, human soldiers of the same size cannot compete with it.
"So, have you thought about it?" Bluebeard looked at Bente: "I'm not asking you to help in vain. After the work is completed, I will have 100 gold coins, which is enough for you to change your identity and live a comfortable life with your wife and children! ”
Bente frowned and slowly took a step back.
At this moment, two horse thieves rushed up, one on the left and one on the right.
There were also two horse thieves who lifted his wife and son up, placing the shining blades on their necks.
"Don't be impulsive, Bent." Bluebeard stared into Bent's eyes: "Anyway, you have betrayed twice. What will happen if you betray me again?"
"You are a smart man."
"On one side is my wife and children, on the other side is a dead end. Isn't it difficult to choose?"
Bente's hands and feet were a little stiff at this moment. He looked at the pleading eyes of his wife and children, and was confused for a moment.
At this moment, he thought of a lot.
Six years ago, he retreated with Simon, but accidentally fell into a snow pit. When he was about to freeze to death, he was fished out by horse thieves and brought to Heleti.
He tried to be an unyielding hero.
However, the horse thief's methods were too cruel. Now he only has 4 toes on his feet, and his body is covered with layers of scars.
Just when he was about to lose it, one sentence shattered his defense——
"If Raven really cared about you, how could you be left behind?"
"It's meaningless for you to die here."
So he chose to surrender and became the spineless traitor "Snow Chicken".
Later, Heleti was defeated.
Bent was caught by Simon and twisted to Raven. At that time, he felt a sense of relief and despair in his heart.
He thought he was going to die, but Raven said to him:
"Return to the team."
This sentence is engraved deep in his soul. Whenever he returns to that nightmarish snow pit at midnight, this sentence can wake him up from the endless nightmare.
The past cannot be changed, but at least he can choose his future.
Bente made up his mind, took a deep breath, and tightened his grip on the scimitar at his waist:
"I..."
"I don't like that look." Bluebeard interrupted Bente and winked at the horse thief behind him.
The blade reflected the firelight.
Poof——
Blood spurted out, and Bente's wife fell to the ground. Her throat had been slit, and thick blood flowed all over the floor.
Her desperate eyes were full of disbelief, and the look she looked at Bente was full of nostalgia for life, unwillingness, and a trace of confusion.
Until life is drained out with blood.
Bente only felt that his hands and feet were cold, and his eyes were frozen:
"No...no...!!!"
But Blue Beard burst out laughing:
"I say snow chicken, once you are a traitor, you will always be a traitor!"
"Why bother pretending to be loyal and unyielding here? Do you want to be a knight?"
"Your wife's life is just a warning. If you don't agree..."
While talking, another horse thief lifted Bente's son up.
Mowei, who was just three years old, had tears streaming down his face, and his body was struggling and twisting, trying to pounce on his mother.
At Bluebeard's signal, the horse thief ripped off Morwell's gag.
"Mom——"
A shrill cry burst out from that little body.
"Tsk, tsk, tsk, how pitiful." Bluebeard chuckled and said:
"Snow Chicken, don't hesitate. Killing your wife is just a warning. You don't have to feel sorry. If you have money, what kind of woman can you not find?"
"But children are different. You don't want to watch your son lose his father just after losing his mother, right?"
Numbness and despair crept up Bent's face. His mouth opened and his body trembled. Big tears fell from the corners of his eyes, forming muddy spots on the ground.
"I..."
Bluebeard adjusted his posture, ready to receive the Snow Chicken's allegiance.
At this moment, Snow Chicken suddenly took a deep breath, calmed down, looked at his son, and whispered in a low voice that only he could hear:
"I'm sorry, kid."
锔——
The sword is unsheathed.
It was as if a flash of lightning lit up the room.
This knife was struck so suddenly that the surrounding horse thieves were unable to react, and they directly cut off the head of the horse thief on Bent's right!
Gululu
The head rolled to the ground, and a fountain of blood rose into the sky.
"Catch him!!" Bluebeard screamed and gave the order hastily!
He didn't expect Snow Chicken to make such a choice - what kind of magic did Raven cast on him to make him refuse to betray even if his son's life was needed? ?
But it was too late.
Bent split the door bolt with his knife and rushed out.
A horse thief wanted to chase him, but as soon as he left the house, Bente had already thrown back his scimitar.
With a sound, the scimitar sank into the middle of the horse thief's eyebrows!
With a bang, the dead body fell to the ground.
Rushing to the stable, Bent took out his dagger and cut off the rope that tied the horse.
"Dad - don't abandon me!!!"
Morwell's screams rang out.
Tears flowed uncontrollably from Bent's eyes, but he resolutely got on the horse.
He was afraid that if he hesitated for a moment, he would no longer be able to stick to his choice.
Knocking the horse's belly with all his strength, Bente rushed into the deep night.
Watching Bent's retreating back, Bluebeard threw Morwell to the ground and broke his neck with one powerful kick:
"What a scumbag, he doesn't even care about his own son."
"Lead the horse, let's chase!"
……
(End of chapter)