"Isn't today's scene a bit too exaggerated?" Xiao Chen and Luo Ling were walking on the road to the market. He put his hands in his trouser pockets and looked back. Two soldiers wearing cloaks and hiding semi-automatic rifles were following them. They were Cai Long and Zhang Mujie.
Capes are very common in the local area, and merchants who come and go like to dress in this way. However, the two people in the crowd are quite conspicuous. They are tall and have a completely different spirit from the people around them. The military temperament is different, like two white geese walking among chickens.
Xiao Chen bought spies around the dwarf's shop so that he would know if there was any big movement in the blacksmith shop. Today, news came that the commander of the city guards wanted to cause trouble for the dwarves. He knew that the opportunity had come, so he went to rescue and recruit people.
"Just go forward with peace of mind. What's the big deal with two more people?" Luo Ling reminded.
"Aren't you just worried that they might scare Farrell? That old dwarf is always suspicious." Xiao Chen touched his chin, "How about the two of us go in? Otherwise, if these two great gods follow Farrell into his house, he'll think we have bad intentions."
"Hey, Xiao Chen, how can you talk like that? What do you mean by scared?" Cai Long behind him said dissatisfiedly.
"You are full of murderous intent."
"Xiao Chen, look at my face carefully." Cai Long pointed at himself, "Anyway, I am younger than you, right? Sunny, right? Handsome, right?" After saying that, he deliberately grinned. If he wasn't wearing a cloak and holding a gun, he would really be a sunny boy.
Xiao Chen was speechless, but Luo Ling laughed: "Okay, isn't it because Old Chen thought you might be in danger that he sent Xiao Cai and the others? You know the character of those nobles. They might start fighting over a single word. Some people in the team are even muttering that you are looking for trouble." Xiao Chen didn't know that in her small bag there was a pistol that she had asked for from Chen Hansheng.
"I'm in a hurry to recruit him. My friend from the technology team told me before that many materials in this world are slightly different from those on Earth. And research in basic disciplines and metallurgy, chemical engineering, and materials is the most expensive and time-consuming. How can we have time to do research slowly now? Therefore, the simplest way is to absorb the achievements of the locals." Xiao Chen said happily, "Don't underestimate Farel. His enchantment technology can make materials produce such strange effects. On Earth, he is a master of metallurgy manufacturing. How can I not be jealous of such a treasure? The best way to deal with this kind of technician is to seduce him with unheard-of technology. That's why I showed the dagger. I have a hunch that when our science collides with their magic, something that will surprise us will definitely appear."
"Reckless guy!" Although she said that, Luo Ling still smiled as she looked at his excited expression.
"I was indeed rash to pull someone in when we met. There is a sequence of priorities in love, first, second, third base." Xiao Chen smiled slyly, "But since I'm already rash, I have to do it to the end. I have to get Farrell involved no matter what."
Luo Ling said meaningfully: "It's not just your trouble. If we can't come to an agreement, Farrell might be in even more trouble."
"I drank a lot yesterday and went to bed early. What were you and Chen Hansheng thinking about afterwards? You..." Xiao Chen stared at Luo Ling, trying to read something in her eyes. "You didn't want to kill her to silence her because we couldn't come to an agreement, did you?"
"What are you thinking about? Have you watched too many gangster movies?" Luo Ling tilted her head to glance at him and walked forward on her own.
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Baron Gregory Bailey, wearing leather armor and holding a horse whip, walked into Farrell's blacksmith shop. Farrell and his two sons were loading the goods he had come to pick up. They wrapped the crude weapons and armor in straw, placed them in simple baskets, and then covered them with a piece of coarse cloth to complete the packaging.
"Baron Gregory, these are the equipment of the city lord. If we transport one batch away, we will be clear of all charges this year." Farrell did not stop when he saw Gregory come in. He continued to work while talking. His attitude was definitely not enthusiastic.
Baron Gregory frowned. The new mayor had set his sights on Farel two months ago, but the dwarf hadn't noticed it yet. He had come to trouble the dwarf today according to the new mayor's wishes, and the dwarf's attitude undoubtedly added fuel to the fire. The baron kept hitting the whip in his hand and walked around the baskets, with a look of disgust on his face.
"Don't rush to wrap it up. Let me see what it is." He spat out these words like spit, and then picked up a piece of cloth with his whip.
The basket was a real mess, with various pieces of armor and some short swords and daggers piled up in the thatch.
"Humph! Is this what you told the city lord?" Baron Gregory kicked the basket to the ground, and the armor and weapons inside fell out. Baron Gregory stepped on a breastplate, which made an unpleasant creaking sound and then a big crack appeared.
Garbage among garbage, these dwarves are becoming more and more lawless, daring to fool the city lord like this. Gregory kicked the torn breastplate in front of the dwarf and said, "Asshole! You lowly dwarf, rat's son, the city lord gave you shelter and saved your family from starving to death in the wilderness, and this is how you repay him? It's getting more tattered each time. You let my brothers die wearing this?"
"This is unfair! The city lord always directly requisitions our equipment without paying a penny. Our blacksmith shop can't even be run, so where do we get the money to make good equipment?" One of Farrell's sons argued unconvinced.
Gregory didn't even look at him. He just picked up the whip and whipped the young dwarf hard in the face. The whip glowed with fighting spirit and was as fast as lightning. After just a few strokes, the dwarf's face was covered with blood and he screamed in pain.
Farrell roared, and a red fighting spirit like fire burst out of his body. He grabbed Gregory's whip with one hand, his eyes wide open, and he wanted to punch Gregory.
But Gregory had a sneer on his face and looked at Farrell motionlessly.
Farrell clenched his fists so tightly that veins bulged, and the tip of the whip he was holding suddenly emitted a hissing smoke.
Gregory held on to him fearlessly, and gradually Farrell's fighting spirit dimmed and his expression became depressed. He let go of the whip in his hand, bent down with difficulty and said to the baron: "Please spare this ignorant child, I... I apologize to you on his behalf."
"Farrell, you actually used fighting spirit to attack a noble? I think you don't need to keep this shop open. Come with me and make weapons for me in the dungeon of the city guards." Gregory waved his hand, and a group of burly soldiers rushed in. Several of them grabbed Farrell, and the others rushed into the house and started to speculate.
Farrell was pinned down from all sides by four soldiers. His face flushed and he looked at Gregory tremblingly. He clenched his fists and then opened them again, not knowing whether he should fight back or just resign himself to his fate. At this moment, he already knew that Gregory and his party were here to cause trouble today, and he would be locked up in the dungeon anyway. In this era, commoners, especially foreigners like him, had no status in front of the nobles. Maybe he could complain and curse the city lord after drinking, but once the other party got serious, he had no power to resist.
Gregory tapped Farrell's forehead with the handle of his whip. "I heard that you have stored a lot of good things in the inner room. Now those equipment have been confiscated by the city guards. Consider it as compensation for damaging my beloved whip. A dwarf slave only needs to work, not property..."
Gregory stopped talking halfway, and then his face twisted silently. Cold sweat broke out from his forehead, flowing down his eyebrows and all over his cheeks. His cheeks had turned blue and white, and were shaking unnaturally. Gregory covered his chest with his hands and tried his best to hold his lips to prevent himself from screaming.
Fear, boundless fear came from all directions, and he was like a drowning man, drowned by the tide of fear. The source of fear was right behind him, he didn't dare to look, didn't want to look, he just squatted down, supported himself with his hands, and trembled.
"What's going on here?" a man's voice came from behind.
At this time, Baron Gregory felt his spirit relax, the extreme fear suddenly receded, and he could finally breathe. He stood up tremblingly, looked behind him carefully, and found two familiar men and women standing at the gate, followed by two stern-looking guards, holding unknown magic props in their hands. This is... magicians! They are magicians!
"Isn't this Baron Gregory of the City Guard? We dealt with him at the gate some time ago when we entered the city." Xiao Chen looked at Gregory with a smile, but his eyes were sharp and frightening.
"You are the magician from afar. It was you just now..." Baron Gregory pointed his finger at Xiao Chen, but it was shaking violently.
"Ah, Mr. Farrell is my partner with Master Ikasa. We just saw the flash of swords and sabers inside, and we thought someone was robbing, so we cast a small magic spell to calm everyone down and not be impulsive. Did we hurt anyone by mistake?"
"No...no, you said Master Ikasa is the partner of this...dwarf?" Baron Gregory asked in disbelief, "I have been dealing with him all the time, how come I have never heard of this."
"Are you going to question the magician's integrity?" Luo Ling asked sternly.
"Of course not." Gregory seemed to be very afraid of Luo Ling. In his opinion, the horrible magic just now was most likely done by this arrogant female wizard. "But he just offended me, which also violated the laws of Suero. I have to take him away."
Xiao Chen waved his hand and said, "I don't care about these, but I am very concerned about whether the experimental equipment that Master Ikasa and I can build in time. Master Ikasa has some new ideas recently and can't wait to experiment. Do you know what a mage who is anxious about research looks like?"
Bailey's face changed several times, as if he was recalling something from the past that he couldn't bear to look back on. He said hesitantly, "But the city lord has been dissatisfied with his shoddy work for a long time. It would be hard to just let him go."
"I heard that Suero is the capital of gold coins. There is a law that any crime can be redeemed with gold coins?" Xiao Chen took out a handful of gold coins from his pocket. "Here are ten gold coins. Are they enough to offset his sins and make him serve us wholeheartedly?"
"Ten gold coins?"
"Excuse me, but these gold coins should be more than enough to buy equipment for ordinary soldiers, right?"
Of course, it was more than enough. Even if similar equipment was purchased from other blacksmiths, it would only cost five gold coins at most. Baron Gregory did not want to experience the fear he had just experienced again, so he took the gold coins very cooperatively, then bowed and said, "Farel has redeemed all his sins. You can send him as you wish."