Lord of Rot

Chapter 396

Outside the Bonta Canyon.

The noon sun shines on the golden sand sea.

As August approaches, the temperature rises extremely rapidly. Looking into the distance, the air is distorted by the high temperature.

A lizard scrambles across a sand dune on two legs.

The lack of food made it have to come out to look for food under the scorching sun.

Whoosh-!
A long arrow accurately hit the lizard, pinning it to the dune.

There was the sound of horseshoes in the distance, and a group of cavalry in cloaks came from far to near.

Dozens of people stopped on the sand dunes, looking at the exit of the canyon.

"Bulwell, is Baron Porcupine really coming?"

"The raven sent a message that it will arrive in two days, I guess it's today." The leader of the wandering knights, Bulwell, looked up at the towering mountains, squinting his eyes and wondering what he was thinking.

A wandering knight behind him said: "Don't hesitate, just line up and kill!"

"Yeah, before they come out, let's kill the Baron Porcupine, and the entire Bangta Market will be ours in the future!"

No matter how extravagant the wandering knights said to the outside world, they couldn't change one thing. They were all unbelievers who had betrayed their beliefs and oaths.

Betrayal, only zero and countless times.

Bulwell asked rhetorically, "Can we hold the Bazaar of Bonta?"

"Of course I can't keep it!"

"But you can grab something first, and then go back and enjoy it slowly."

"Don't forget Princess Sophia, we did all this to overthrow the hateful Earl Buffalo, and to take back everything that belongs to us and the princess!"

Bulwell turned his head to look at his own people, and sighed helplessly.

Some people may still retain the dignity of being knights, but most of them have been reduced to desert bandits wearing plate armor.

Killing Baron Porcupine and robbing his property, they only value immediate interests.

Because the benefits are too attractive, the Bangta Bazaar, which was not open to them before, is now completely defenseless.

Other desert robbers were also swept away.

The entire area around the Bangta Bazaar has become a garden for them to come in and out at will. Looking at the property, how could they not be moved.

"If we killed Baron Porcupine, we would end up retreating to the southern camp," Bulwell said. "We would still be living like stray dogs."

The person in front of the team taunted: "You don't really want to serve the porcupine and choose to be a hunting dog, do you?"

Bulwell is also very clear that if he really chooses to join the porcupines, the wandering knights behind him will also choose to rebel. Instead of being coerced and forced to attack, it is better to attack directly!
He shouted: "Wait at the mouth of the canyon!"

Time passed slowly, and the sounds of horseshoes and footsteps came from the Bangta Canyon. The wandering knights led by Bulwell held their breath, waiting for an order to charge.

"Why are you here?" Li Qi, who was the first to come out on a galloping eagle, looked at the wandering knights in surprise.

Bulwell and the others were also stunned when they saw the eagle. They had never seen this kind of creature, and they only regarded the rumors about Dongxia as bragging.

At this time, seeing the legendary creature really appeared, this group of wandering knights who were always in the corner had a bad premonition in their hearts.

Li Qi looked at the dozens of wandering knights who were waiting in full force, especially a few of them who were not of good mental quality and had already grasped their wrists by their waists, and immediately understood their reason for coming.

The people behind Li Qi were very relaxed. They had more than a dozen extraordinary people, and they rushed over in one breath. The wandering knights were not good at all.

"grown ups……"

Bulwell could feel the fear of the horse under his crotch, trembling uneasily.

"I see." Li Qi suddenly realized, "You guys came here to welcome me, right?"

He immediately frowned: "Why are you still riding a horse when you greet me? It seems that you have not been a knight for too long, and you have forgotten knight etiquette."

"Wow—!"

The eagle raised its head and screamed.

The wandering knights were kneeling on the ground with their horses under their crotches. A few wandering knights reacted a little slower and fell off their horses, in a state of embarrassment.

Bulwell was shocked.

Just the cry made the fearless war horse who had experienced the war so frightened that he knelt on the ground and dared not move!

The knight who had yelled the loudest with Bulwell before drew his sword.

"Didn't you welcome me?" Li Qi was condescending, looking down at the disorganized wandering knights: "Are you planning to betray?"

When he spoke, he used 'shock'. The wandering knights who were stunned by the eagle just now lost their minds, and then they were stunned by Li Qi's magic, and their legs and feet suddenly became weak.

The wandering knight who drew his sword was given special care and fell to his knees directly.

In a trance, Bulwell realized that it was not Baron Porcupine looking down at him, but a ferocious dragon.

He woke up in time and half-kneeled on the ground: "We have wiped out all the desert robbers around the Bangta Bazaar! We are here to welcome you!"

"Thanks for your hard work. The safety of the neighborhood depends on you." Li Qi smiled, as if the scene just now was just an illusion.

Junying was the first to go, and the rear team followed.

The mercenaries Trevor and Allen gave themselves contemptuous glances, although the two of them were faster than the others at the beginning.

Bulwell and the other wandering knights half-kneeled on the sand, and watched Li Qi and the others get further and further away before standing up.

The wandering knight who first questioned Bulwell stood up. He was a little annoyed because Li Qi was so frightened that he knelt on the ground: "Bulwell, I knew you didn't dare. Now we have missed the best time to defeat Baron Porcupine. He is invincible on a Pegasus. Thanks to you, all of us will become his dogs!"

Bulwell walked towards the other party with a sullen face: "Why didn't you rush up and kill him just now? No one will stop you."

The wandering knight looked at Bulwell disdainfully: "You are the leader, I want to listen to you, if you hadn't taken the lead to kneel down, I would have rushed over to kill the porcupine! You are already old, or..."

A sword pierced the wandering knight's throat, his eyes widened in shock, and his body was tilted.

Bulwell drew out his sword and looked around at the wandering knights with different expressions: "This is what happens to those who break their oaths and draw their swords to their lord!"

The lord who draws the sword absolutely cannot live, and even everyone subconsciously blames the knight who was killed for their previous impulsive behavior, thinking that if it wasn't for the other party, they wouldn't have to take the risk of angering Li Qi.

Dead people are best suited to bear the blame.

Someone asked: "What shall we do in the future?"

"Follow the baron's orders and do our job well," said Bulwell. "At least life will be better than before."

Obedient can eat bones...

……

Bonta Bazaar, Taverns.

Kool Oasis paced back and forth, restless.

The three who can control the fate of the entire Bonta Bazaar gather here.

They are Kur Oasis, the titular lord of the town, the leader of the Iron Fist Gang who manages all the pickpockets and thieves in the Bangta Bazaar, and the elf girl Bailu who is stationed here on behalf of Li Qi.

After walking around a few more times, Kur Oasis said helplessly to the elf girl who was dozing off, "Master White Deer, Master White Deer!"

"Huh?" Hearing someone calling him, Bai Lu opened his eyes: "The talk is over?"

"The matter hasn't been resolved yet." Kur Oasis glanced at the leader of the Iron Fist Gang, who said helplessly, "Fifty soldiers fled the battle and took away their armor and crossbows."

There were only 120 people in the Bangta Bazaar, and nearly half of them fled directly.

"Hmm~" Bailu nodded very seriously, but said nothing.

"Do you have a way to contact Master Li Qi?" Seeing this, Kur Oasis asked helplessly.

"He wrote and sent it, and it should arrive within two days." Bai Lu said, "Is the problem serious?"

"Very serious!" Kur nodded, "The fifty soldiers who escaped were all members of the wild boar mercenary group."

What he is most worried about now is that his brother is connected with the wild boar mercenary group. The desert snake is the wild boar mercenary group. It is enough to make money under its name, which is enough to show the strength of the mercenary group.

A strong dragon can't overwhelm a local snake. Although the Porcupine Baron has many extraordinary subordinates, he may not be willing to die for the small Bangta Market and the wild boar mercenary group.

There was a knock on the door outside.

"What's the matter?" Kuro asked, his tone uncomfortable.

"Master Li Qi is back."

The expressions of the three changed at the same time.

"I'm going to see the adults right away!"

Li Qi is back, so the headaches and troubles are not my own!
……

Li Qi's team rested overnight at the post station, reloaded fresh water and set off again.

After a long journey, we arrived at Bangta Bazaar.

As soon as he returned to the residence, a group of young and lively little maids came over. They looked at Junying curiously and fearfully.

Ordinary horses are taller than people, and war horses are bigger and bigger and need people to look up to them, while eagles must be taller and taller than war horses, and large beasts like lions are also small in front of it.

When ordinary people see a beast of this level, fear is the first reaction, and then they feel admiration for Baron Li Qi riding on it. Being able to ride a powerful monster proves its strength.

Rocket is Li Qi's most luxurious "sports car" and "glory".

"Cuckoo..." Junying looked around curiously, probably knowing that this is his new home.

The maid came over with a basin and asked Li Qi to wash off the dust.

He asked, "Where's the white deer?"

A little maid took the initiative to answer: "Master Bailu went out to find Master Kuer this morning, and should be back soon."

"En." Li Qi wiped his hands and looked at Jun Ying: "Don't fly too far, there may be enemies around us that we can't deal with, be careful to be shot down by them."

"Cuckoo!"

The eagle, which had been walking on the ground for several days, finally got the permission. After two exclamations of excitement, it spread its huge wings amidst exclamations, and flew into the sky...

Kuer and Bailu left the tavern and quickly came to Li Qi's residence. Just as they approached, they heard a loud eagle howling.

When the strong wind hit, Bailu reacted in time as an extraordinary person and dodged quickly, but Kuer was directly thrown by the wind.

"Wow—!"

The eagle lifted off and gradually turned into a small black dot in the field of vision.

Kur, who got up, patted the dust on his body, knocked on the door and said, "We want to see Lord Li Qi."

Not long after asking to meet, a little maid soon took the two in.

In the courtyard, under the shade of the trees, Li Qi was talking to the snake man Nia in the iron cage. The little maids stood in the distance, watching curiously, but they didn't dare to approach.

"You guys came just in time." Li Qi waved when he saw the two of them coming, "Come on, come on."

When Kur saw the snake-man Nia in the cage, his expression changed slightly, and he secretly said in his heart that it was true.

It's no wonder that Li Qi doesn't respond to elf girls. It turned out that he likes this type. It is said that the nobles in the East Gorge and the central region have some unusual hobbies, and now they can see it with their own eyes.

At the same time, he suddenly realized in his heart, secretly thinking that it was no wonder.

Looking at the maid he found for Li Qi, Ku Er really wanted to give him a slap in the face, but Master Li Qi didn't like this kind of thing, so he flattered him and slapped him on the horse's leg.

"Snake man!" Bai Lu walked to Li Qi's side, seeing Niya growl slightly raised his voice: "Snake man with high blood concentration!"

Li Qi asked: "Is she also from Pan Bo mainland?"

"Well, I've heard of them, but they live on the other side of Panbo Continent. I've never seen them with my own eyes." Bailu said, "There are also records in some elf books. Most of them just have snake-like tongues and some scales. Snake people with snake tails like her are very rare!"

She said to Li Qi in a more understandable way: "It's like you Lurea people gave birth to dwarves or three arms."

"It doesn't sound very good." Li Qi shook his head: "It's a deformity."

Bai Lu said: "The higher the concentration of demi-human blood, the more serious the body mutation will be, but the stronger the talent, like her, with a little training, she will definitely become a superhuman in the future."

"It seems that among the many races, only humans are not very talented."

Only humans are discriminated against due to physical deformities and disabilities, and other races are proud of it.

"nya~" Nya, who was used as a textbook, curled up and made a weak voice like a cat meowing.

Li Qi asked: "Since you understand so well, can you help me translate what she is saying?"

Bailu was a little embarrassed: "I can't understand what she's talking about. I only know Elvish, the common language of Lurea, and the common language of Panbo."

Li Qi cast a suspicious look.

"You are from Lurea, can you understand all languages?" Bailu felt offended by Li Qi's gaze.

"I don't understand." Li Qi simply shook his head: "But I will let them understand what I said."

As he spoke, he gestured with his fist.

Bailu ignored Li Qi, but looked at the snake girl Nia in the iron cage. She felt a sense of trance when she could see the snakeman recorded in her hometown on another continent.

Leaving home, suddenly hearing the news of my hometown will make my eyes feel hot.

Li Qi asked casually, "Is it a mess in there?"

"Yeah." Bailu nodded: "The half-orcs set off a war, and other races are no match for them. Although I can't go back, I can imagine the situation in that land, otherwise she wouldn't be here."

Li Qi clapped his hands, feeling the joy of throwing away the cumbersome burden, and said, "Since she is from your hometown, I will hand her over to you."

Maybe he can cultivate a transcendent, and it will be a good thing if he cultivates it. The elf girl Bailu is his designated wage earner.

You don't need to pay money, just draw cakes.

"nya~!" Nya suddenly became nervous and her voice was sharp.

Ever since she met Li Qi, Nia has always spoken in a soft "nya" voice, whether she is angry or hungry, her tone has not changed.

But when he heard that Li Qi was going to hand her over to the elf girl, he became very excited.

"You can understand me!" Li Qi looked at the girl in the cage: "Nia, you are very naughty."

"n~y~a~" Niya lowered her head and completely curled up her lower body into a poop shape.

Li Qi turned to look at Bailu: "She is afraid of you, maybe you elves live by eating snakes."

"How is it possible!" Bailu was emotional: "The elves will drink the spring water produced by the mother tree, and eat a little fruit at most, and I have never seen snake people, how could they eat them!"

He was just making a joke. Of course, it can be seen from the usual diet that the elf girl's love for meat is very low. She can eat it, but she doesn't like it.

Li Qi said to the snake girl in the cage: "Niya, I'll ask you to answer, if you don't obey, I will throw you to the elf, and let her eat you!"

"nya~nya~" The snake girl nodded obediently.

"You!" Bailu didn't expect that as an elf, he would be used to intimidate others, but the stupid snake girl really believed it.

Li Qi asked: "Can you speak Lurea's common language?"

"nya" Nia shook her head.

"Can you listen, speak, and write?"

"nya!" She nodded this time.

Li Qi immediately asked someone to bring the paper.

The pitiful little snake girl is using her appearance to confuse herself, which is also a very typical non-violent non-cooperation.

Coincidentally, Li Qi is also a person who takes soft things but not tough ones.

Lianxiang Xiyu has nothing to do with him, but he is very good at destroying flowers with hot hands, and there are not a few women who died in his hands.

At Li Qi's request, Nia quickly wrote down her background in neat words.

Li Qi picked up the paper and flipped through it.

Nia was born on the mainland of Pember. Because her homeland was destroyed by half-orcs, she took a boat to the sea to survive.

While crossing the deep sea, the ship was destroyed, and when she woke up, she was locked in a cage.

Because of her distinctive appearance, she was bought by a noble lady who treated her very well, had beautiful clothes to wear every day, and taught her how to write. Nia spent a very happy time until the noble lady married a man who fell in love with Nia and planned to attack her.

After this incident was known by the noble lady, Nia was reprimanded and beaten again, and then she was put in a cage and sold again.

After passing through several masters, Nia gradually understood how to protect herself, until the 'dwarf' Lele accidentally bought her.

The other party had no interest in her, and only said to find a chance to give it away.

Nia and a group of rare and ferocious beasts were imprisoned in a cell full of feces, waiting for a new owner day after day.

It wasn't until she was given to Li Qi by the dwarf as a gift some time ago that she couldn't see the light of day again.

Nia also wrote why she is afraid of elves.

"Children who don't go home after dark will be captured by elves and fed to orcs, tsk tsk, it's quite down-to-earth." Li Qi looked at Bailu.

The elves also have similar horror stories, such as being caught by demihumans, they will grow a snake's tail, or a cow's head, etc. As they grow older, no one will take it seriously.

But Nia clearly meant business.

Bailu was angry and didn't know what to say.

"I don't want to hurt you." Li Qi said to Snake Nia: "I can also let you go and give you freedom, but you have to pay me back 50 gold days. I bought you with 50 gold days."

"nya~" Niya bowed her head.

I don't know if I am worried about the 50th Golden Day, or I am confused about freedom.

Even if she regains her freedom, she may be caught again in the future and become a commodity.

"I offer you two options. The first one is to obediently stay and work to pay off your debts, and be a maid just like them." Li Qi pointed to the curious girls in the distance, and said, "However, with this method, you will never earn 50 gold days in your lifetime. I will also provide you with another method."

He pointed at Bailu: "Follow her to study. Didn't she say that your blood concentration is very high? If you become a superhuman, I will give you a golden day every month. You only need to work for me for 1 months, about four years. What do you think?"

"nya~" Niya pointed to the maids and made a choice.

"It seems that she is really afraid of you," Li Qi said to Bai Lu.

Bailu emphasized: "Elves are friendly to everything in the world!"

In the end, no matter how much Nia resisted, she was "voluntarily" followed by the elf girl.

It is impossible for Li Qi to let a snake move freely in the yard. Of course he is not afraid of it, but ordinary people may not be able to fight her, it is still very dangerous.

After dealing with Nia's matter, Li Qi looked at Kur Oasis.

"My lord!" Kur finally had a chance to speak: "The town guards, 50 people escaped, all of them were soldiers attached to the wild boar mercenary group. I suspect that the wild boar mercenary group has a connection with Kunke!"

"Is there any news from the Iron Fist Gang?" Li Qi asked.

Kur lowered his head: "They don't know either."

Li Qi looked at the elf girl Bailu again, and found that she had already started to doze off.

The three leaders of Bangta Bazaar are all unreliable.

"Send someone out to find out the news," Li Qi said, "Can the wild boar mercenary group really cover the sky with one hand and block all sources of news?"

"I'll go right away!"

Facts have proved that the wild boar mercenary group really managed to cover the sky with one hand in the desert.

After several inquiries, Kur did not get any useful information, and there was no way to investigate any information about the wild boar mercenary group.

It wasn't until a message came that Li Qi understood the reason.

"My lord! The caravan we bought at Baron Jincai's Date Palm Village has been detained! Baron Jinke said that he will send people back in person."

(End of this chapter)