In the northern part of the Gold Coin Federation, there is a small city called "Two-Headed Stork".
The name of the city comes from a famous silver coin of the Eagle Kingdom. This silver coin has a relief of a two-headed stork on the back, so it is called "Two-Headed Stork".
Including this "two-headed stork", the coins of the Eagle Kingdom have always been famous for their exquisite production. They are famous not only in the mainland, but even in many other worlds. When the pioneers of the Gold Coin Federation named their cities, they liked to use various coins as names, and "Two-Headed Stork" was one of them.
This city is almost the center of trade between the Gold Coin Federation and the four northwest towns. Food, various daily necessities, and luxury goods are continuously transported to the north. What is transported from the canyon are ores, metal ingots, various gemstones, and Warcraft material.
Although the Gold Coin Federation was founded on commerce, except for the pioneering territories, most areas in the country are quite strictly managed. In particular, there are extremely strict restrictions on the scale and type of businesses in each city. Businessmen, regardless of size, are not allowed to operate without approval. In this way, a more orderly distribution and arrangement of overall resources is achieved, allowing the entire country to be in order.
The main business of Two-Headed Stork City is transportation, especially the transshipment of bulk commodities, which is a top priority. Naturally, an endless stream of bandits emerged as a result. According to private statistics from the Thieves Guild, there are currently forty-six bandit organizations that use this city as their main base or often operate here, and at their peak, there were seventy-five. As for the specific number of robbers, it is conservatively estimated to be more than 2,000.
Two thousand people is not a small number. If they were a whole group, the Federation would have already dispatched troops to wipe them out. But these bandits are organizations of various sizes, scattered over a large area centered on the city. They were so elusive that the army was often confused and unsure of the rules of action; they appeared in endless streams, just like the weeds in the yard after a summer rain. If they are not cleaned up for a few days, they will grow into large areas.
Therefore, including the Two-Headed Stork City, the entire Gold Coin Federation attaches great importance to the pursuit and reward of bandits, and thus a famous professional "bounty hunter" was born.
These powerful adventurers use bandits as prey and bounties as income, just like hunting monsters. They are the most popular guests of caravans within the Gold Coin Federation and are also widely respected rangers.
However, during the recent period, the income of the bounty hunters in Two-Headed Stork City has dropped sharply.
It's not because there are fewer bounties, but because there are super strong competitors.
"Quick, quick, quick! Someone encountered a group of robbers on the business road to the west. The 'Iron Claw' leader is very powerful. His head seems to be worth five hundred gold coins!" When the sky was getting dark, the door of the tavern was suddenly pushed open, and a The heavily armed adventurer rushed in and shouted to his companions sitting in the corner, "We haven't finished it in almost half a month, we must grab it this time!"
The companions who were drinking sullenly suddenly became energetic, jumped up one after another, grabbed their weapons and ran towards the door. The captain who looked more stable at the head even shouted to the boss: "Old rules! Keep the wine money in the account until we come back after collecting the bounty!"
Their strength was extraordinary and their movements were very sophisticated. As they spoke, they had already mounted the horses tied outside the door and went far away amidst the sound of horse hooves. The boss smiled and waved to them from behind the counter, and said to a big man sitting next to the counter: "Stallion, why don't you go and try it?"
The one known as "The Stallion" was an extremely majestic Northlander, also commonly known as the "Barbarian". But he is completely different from ordinary barbarians. He looks quite handsome. The white hair and red eyes did not make him feel weird at all, but instead weakened the sense of danger brought by his burly physique. The strong muscles are not as powerful as granite like ordinary tribesmen, but appear to be extremely well-proportioned and coordinated. He was obviously very tall, and even when he was sitting he was much taller than the nearby guests, but the soft smile on his face and handsome mustache made him appear very approachable, without any rudeness of a barbarian. Even the scars on his body didn't look ferocious at all, and seemed unusually appropriate.
The only thing that makes him feel "savage-like" is the tattoo on the top of his right arm. From his shoulder to his upper arm, he has a vicious snow bear tattooed on him. The bear's eyes exuded a ferocious green light, and any expert could tell that it was not a simple tattoo, but that it really had the soul of a powerful monster sealed inside.
Beyond that, there was nothing savage about him—perhaps the harpoon on the ground or the hatchet in his belt? But he rarely used them, preferring to use the bundle of rope slung over his shoulder under normal circumstances.
This man's name is Qiao Xiu. He is a very powerful adventurer, especially good at using nooses. He could ride on a galloping horse and use a noose to pull away an apple on the window sill by the roadside; he could also use a noose to strangle the necks of four or five enemies when they rushed up screaming. , strangle him to death just right, in exchange for the maximum bounty.
But he is more famous for his romantic character and his clever skills in love. He has been in Two-Headed Stork City for almost two years. In the past two years, almost every woman with loose belts in the city has slept with him. There was also a duel between two female adventurers over him. thing—the duel he had stopped by dragging both men into bed together.
That's why he got the title "Stallion".
Of course, Qiao Xiu also has a great advantage, that is, he is wise. He never messed with women from good families, and he never lingered on women after they were no longer interested in him. This made him even more popular with those dissolute women and made him the best bed partner.
To be honest, a man with his ability can live a life of eating soft food - there are many adventurers who do this, but Qiao Xiu always insists on his identity as an adventurer, keen on building good relations with everyone, and often runs away Go to the pub and laugh.
In this tavern, he is the most popular guest, bar none.
Upon hearing the boss's inquiry, Qiao Xiu put down his glass and said with a smile, "After finishing this glass, I'll set off."
"Huh? Shouldn't this kind of thing happen sooner rather than later?" A young adventurer nearby asked curiously.
Qiao Xiu shook his head: "It's just that they are bandits nearby. The ones on the west trade road... When they arrive, they will probably just watch the excitement. There are powerful people who have already passed by."
Another adventurer suddenly understood and asked: "Are they the ones who are not picky eaters?"
"Who else could it be? Of course it's them." Qiao Xiu touched his mustache, which countless women called sexy, and nodded with a smile, "I saw them when I returned to the city before. We hurried towards the west, and the leader was the big bald man. He has already passed, how can anyone else share the benefits? It's just to watch the fun. "
Everyone was immediately discouraged and began to complain.
Ever since the bald man brought a group of strong men to Two-Headed Stork City, they have been grabbing business everywhere. Just like their nickname, these guys are not picky at all. As long as there is something to do, even if the profit is small, they will happily go out, like a swarm of locusts, huffing and clearing away the robbers wherever they pass. Light, come back with a lot of loot, dead or alive, to collect the reward.
Thanks to them, the city's security has been very good during this period, and the number of bandits on the surrounding commercial roads has also been significantly reduced. The merchants and residents are very satisfied.
The only ones complaining are the bounty hunters who have been robbed of their business.
But facing the overly powerful bald man, they couldn't complain - stealing business was the natural right of the strong, and this had always been the case in the world of adventurers.
Fortunately, the bald man didn't do too much. He usually didn't take any action and seemed to be training his subordinates. This allows everyone to still have business to do and will not cut off their source of income.
The adventurers chatted while eating, and time passed quickly. After Qiao Xiu finished the food and wine in front of him, he paid the bill, picked up the harpoon on the ground, and walked out with the weapon on his back.
He didn't ride a horse and walked very quickly. He left the city in a while and walked west along the road.
About two hundred miles west of the Two-Headed Stork City, there is an Iron Elephant City. Its name comes from a certain ancient coin that is very famous among collectors. The main business projects of Tiexiang City are the smelting of ores and rough processing of metals. The refined metal ingots and weapon embryos they produce are well-known in the mainland, and are always in short supply.
Therefore, this trade route connecting the two cities has become a piece of meat in the eyes of bandits. Not only is it often visited by various large and small bandit gangs, but internal strife has broken out more than once in order to compete for it.
"So I always don't understand. It's so good for everyone to live a normal life, eat, sleep, go to bed, and have a bunch of children... Why do some people not want to live such a life?"
After kicking away the two goblins who suddenly jumped out of the grass to rob him, Qiao Xiu didn't even slow down. He sighed and ran along the traces on the road.
He was walking faster than a galloping horse. When the sun set, he had already caught up with those who had set out before, and saw their long shadows in the sunset from a distance.
And when he completely caught up with them, there was only a hint of red clouds left on the horizon.
"Do you think we can gain something this time?" The leader of the bounty hunter team, who had a good relationship with him, asked with a smile.
Qiao Xiu shrugged and pointed forward: "Isn't the result obvious over there?"
Those bounty hunters didn't have the sharp eyes of an eagle like him, and it took a while to see clearly what was going on over there.
I saw a bald giant who looked like a god, carrying a huge ax like a door panel, and leading a group of strong men who seemed to have shrunk him a few sizes. He tied up a group of dejected bandits one by one with ropes and threw them to the side. On the cart.
As for the bandit leader known as "Iron Claw", the bright red mess in the huge pit on the ground is the last trace left in the world of this famous guy whose head is worth five hundred gold coins.