Shadow Covenant

Chapter 188 "Arrest"

Sure enough, when the coachmen of the Angry Winter Merchant Group drove their carriages to this temporary camp where merchants traveling from north to south often stationed, Woody's perception could easily capture the message brought by the wind, the secret language.

"This time we go in together, only if we have a companion, who knows what they will do in the elves' territory! We have to beware of those guys in River Valley City."

This is vigilance.

"Damn it, the goods are still not enough. We have to see if there is a chance to add more. This opportunity is rare."

This is greed.

"As long as we set off at the time of the moon and mid-heaven this time, we will be able to get ahead of them and be the first to enter the elf market to obtain the greatest profit."

This is planning.

……

Woody listened to all kinds of messages, although they were all ravings from the street, but they could more or less let him understand the current situation.

For example, there are still three days before the elf market will open, and these people are all business travelers waiting here. Some people have been waiting here since two weeks ago.

And Woody also discovered that in order to pass the time in this temporary camp, this group of businessmen actually had a small trade market, which was prepared by businessmen from all over the world to obtain the goods that each other wanted more, such as business trips to the south They want to exchange the spices and rare decorations in their hands for more valuable furs and bone carvings from the Northland, while the merchants going to the north want to exchange them for some products that are not available in the north.

This is normal. The key to trade is that the value of goods will increase or decrease due to different regions and different destinations of business travelers.

"Camp in place! Take a day off!"

Soon, the Angry Winter Merchant Group found their own open space in this temporary camp called Maple Leaf Bay. It was not far from the water source, but there were two or three small merchants around, watching them vigilantly. Especially when he saw the Navian badge worn on the chest of the guards of the merchant group, he understood that this large group of troops was from the merchant group from the north, and they seemed particularly afraid. The carriage unconsciously moved towards the crowd on the other side , they don't want to conflict with the Angry Winter Merchant Group.

After all, the Northlanders in the entire Asenland are considered martial and belligerent, and they fight without saying a word, and those who can do it will never force them to talk.

It's okay to win, but if you don't win, you will lose a lot this time. Not only will you be beaten, but you will also miss the opportunity to enter the elf market.

What's more, the number of people alone has already crushed most of the business travelers in Maple Leaf Bay.

"Phew, I can finally rest. After walking for a day and a night, I went to get some water and drink some hot soup."

"Oh, it's a pity you can't drink."

……

As the carriage stopped and camped out, shouts and shouts came from outside the carriage from time to time. The merchants of the business group also simply warned them not to have too many conflicts with other people, and then let them go freely. After a day and night of driving, you should take a good rest.

At this moment, the sound of small footsteps came from outside the door, followed by a very familiar voice.

"Are you there, Woody?"

"Inom? What's the matter?"

Woody lifted the curtain of the carriage compartment and looked at the middle-aged man with tired eyes and eyebrows outside the door. Cecil's departure also made him feel sad.

After seeing Woody, he directly told Woody what he wanted.

"Moente and the others said they were going to hold a banquet, and asked me to ask if you would go."

Obviously, the invitation to this banquet seems to be just for dinner, but it is probably to discuss the next plan of the caravan. Without Cecil, many plans will be postponed. While purchasing resources for the next destination.

"Sorry, I might have something wrong."

Woody was silent for a long while, although it was proposed by Inom, he finally refused, because he wanted to go to the small trading market here, by the way, around Maple Leaf Bay, to see if there was the herb he wanted , so as not to have long nights and dreams, there is not much time left for him.

"Okay, then you pay attention to safety, we will set off tomorrow morning."

When Inom heard that Woody was going to leave the camp for a walk, he nodded helplessly. He knew that he could not persuade Woody, not to mention from the beginning of the conversation, this young adventurer, It seems that he is unwilling to join the conference level of the business group, even though His Royal Highness Cecil gave him the same status as her.

Seeing Enom's back going away, Woody didn't stay in the carriage for too long, but got off the carriage directly, and then headed for a place with more brilliant lights not far away.

However, when he walked halfway, his perception seemed to feel that there was something looking at him from the sky. He raised his head subconsciously, and found two birds parked on the treetops, with gray feathers and brown eyes. , inconspicuous, at this moment they were tilting their heads, looking at him with piercing eyes.

Woody thought for a while, showed a smile, and then left the open space directly, while the two birds still stayed there, their eyes returned to their usual appearance, looking at Nu Dongshang without blinking. The direction of the regiment's temporary camp.

……

The temporary market in Maple Leaf Bay is not difficult to find. The place with the most voices is that, unlike Palermo’s neat and orderly market, the market here is more like a messy puzzle, with one here, one there, and a carriage that opens to reveal goods. Anyone standing nearby can come forward to ask the price, while some carriages are tightly covered, and the owner simply stops there to chat. They talk about everything from kingdom affairs to wilderness adventures.

They didn't look too surprised when they saw Woody wandering alone in the market. There are many such lone travelers everywhere, and they can be seen everywhere in the wilderness. Some of them are pure wandering mercenaries, while others They are pure robbers, but given the large number of caravans here in Maple Leaf Bay, there is no one who is not open-eyed and dares to loot, and the malice towards strangers is not so strong.

After all, the businessman himself can be regarded as an outsider in this land. Could it be that he doesn't do business just because he doesn't know him well?This kind of thinking cannot be implanted in their minds as businessmen. Many businessmen even ask Woody if they need some equipment and utensils for camping in the wild. Of course, many people ask him if he has a team. Hire him as a caravan guard.

But these were rejected by Woody one by one, his goal was not these, and soon, he also found his goal.

In a remote and inconspicuous place on the back of the hillside in the market, there is a small truck pulled by a gray donkey parked. Unlike other caravans that are crowded and bustling, traveling horses are counted by two horses. The donkey and his master appear alone.

But what attracted Woody's attention was the herbs and some ores displayed by the owner of the donkey cart, which seemed to be found in the mountains, and there happened to be a few herbs that Woody wanted to find here in the Golden River Valley, so he went straight Going up, he would be very happy to save a little effort. After all, this thing is not expensive. In the regular market, it may be possible to win it with 2 gold coins.

"How are these sold?"

Looking at the small figure wrapped in a gray robe sitting on the carriage in front of him, Woody asked.

"Two gold coins on top, five silver coins in the middle, and two silver coins on the bottom."

This figure wrapped tightly in a gray robe, covering even his hands and neck, gave out an immature voice that matched his figure, but there was a little vigilance in his voice, but on the one hand, he was extremely concerned about the transaction. Longing, on the one hand, is very resistant, and it seems very contradictory.

But Woody doesn't care about these, he only cares about whether the herbs are new or not.

But as soon as he got started, Woody knew that he was worrying too much. The roots were soft, with a little soil on them, and the branches were moist and shiny, very fresh.

"In this way, Kamanto flower, sunflower grass, and rosemary... I want all of these. Let's see what the price is."

Although the price of the exhibited herbal medicines above is in line with the market, in the trade between merchants, this merchant's advantage is not obvious, and it is extremely messy, with many varieties but few, but for Woody, these are not What kind of.

As a personal user, he doesn't care about the quantity of these herbs, as long as he can use them.

There are more than a dozen herbs selected by Woody, ranging from five gold coins to five silver coins. In addition to handing them over to Dr. Moore, he also bought some auxiliary materials for alchemy potions and essential ingredients for neutralizing agents. herbs.

As a demon hunter, he is unqualified, because the potion he carries is still in a vacant state, and all the potions he configured in Palermo were used in that Underdark Region, leaving only a few potions. Bottles of potions that can only be used under special circumstances, such as the "unfailing tree" for immune imbalances and the "tree dream" that can remove toxins from the body, but they still don't help much in serious battles.

In addition, the appearance of the demon lord's incarnation the night before had already given Woody a sense of urgency. He wanted to improve his strength. In addition to gaining experience to bring vitality, the only useful thing was the gain brought by alchemy potions up.

What's more, he still needs some herbal medicine to practice his hands, otherwise, he will never be able to turn to others for help forever. The dark medicine is an example.

"Sir, a total of 5 gold coins and 2 silver coins."

"Just give me five gold coins."

Seeing that Woody bought so much, the tone of the owner of the donkey cart with a childish voice eased a lot, and his attitude changed.

"Let's wrap it all up!"

Woody didn't have any desire to say anything, bought it after fancying it, and then left. He was not curious about what was hidden under the robe, nor was he curious about why he was able to come here in a donkey cart. He only knew , Spend your own money, get the goods, it's only right and proper.

The herbs he selected were sorted out quickly, so Woody left this remote place and went to the other end of the market. He also wanted to take a stroll to see if there were any new harvests. If he could buy them directly with gold coins here If he can meet all the needs of Dr. Moore, then he can save a lot of effort.

But it is a pity that although there are people selling herbs in the remaining markets, they are usually dried.

After all, merchants don't use it by themselves. They prefer herbs that can be preserved for a long time. Even if the medicinal properties decrease during the journey, they are still very precious to people who lack such herbs in other regions.

But with the harvest just now, the trip was worthwhile, but before Woody left the market, there was an eager donkey braying from inside the market, and it neighed together with the sound of a horse, and at the same time there was an extremely loud cheers.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! You strangers!"

Woody stopped in his tracks and stretched out his head to look around with the others. At some point in time, there were several armored and fully armed guards in the market, and the object that these guards were chasing was a man left in the crowd. A short figure protruding to the right.

It was the seller of the herbs that Woody had just traded with.

Well.

Is it such a coincidence?
But Woody thought about it, and when he saw that the heavily armed guards were wearing the emblem of the only city-state of the Golden River Valley, River Valley City, he knew that this did not seem to be a coincidence.

This person should be similar to Lin who met in Palermo. He planned to sell herbs in exchange for money, but his luck was obviously not as good as Lin's, because River Valley City does not allow local residents to contact outsiders. Therefore, selling local herbs to outsiders, Naturally, it is also within the scope of the ban.

It's just that they don't know that these guards have been eyeing him for a long time. Could it be that they are fishing for law enforcement?
But it doesn't look like they are trying to catch that little figure with all their means...

The thing about River Valley City Woody is only the scene when it resumed normal trade with the outside world. At that time, the guards were more of a kind of city sheriff and tax payer, the toll booth at the gate, and the work of the task distribution NPC. As for this kind of Catch the local residents who secretly trade in the outside world.

He really...has never met him before.

And what surprised Woody even more was that although the full-speed explosive speed of this short figure was not as high as him, his agility was at least 16, which was very rare at this age. Wearing heavy armor and savage guards is a sure thing.

The development of the situation was indeed as Woody thought. From the beginning of the matter, in less than 3 minutes, the guard lost the target of the short figure, and he was tired and out of breath. He kept searching for the trace of the short figure.

The words they said were also faintly heard in the air.

"Find it quickly, it will be dark soon."

"Isn't it easier to find it when it's dark?"

"Oh yes, we are determined to find the guy who dared to sell goods to outsiders without the lord's order."

……

Listening to the words of the guards, Woody felt more and more strange. Just selling a few things caused groups of guards to hunt them down. Even the group of dark elves in the Underdark, which he hated the most, did not treat men so harshly. It's not something shameful.

Thinking of the prosperity of the 36th line in the previous life, the river valley city where business travel and trade continued, and seeing the guards of the river valley city who now regard trading as an enemy, Woody suddenly felt a sense of separation.

However, he is still nothing much, and he and that thin figure are just a transactional relationship, buyer and seller, very simple.

Even if he wants to investigate the inside story of River Valley City, he doesn't need to use this excuse to enter.

But he didn't look for trouble, but he already came to the door on his own initiative.

A group of guards from River Valley City came to the door not long after Woody returned to the furious winter merchant camp.

Among them, the heavily armed guard at the head ordered in an extremely stern tone.

"Someone accused you of trading with the residents of our territory. Now, as the city guard law enforcement officer under the command of Viscount Korn of River Valley City, we reasonably request you to take out the items you just traded for inspection!"

(End of this chapter)