Mount & Blade: Pendor Becomes a Dominator Starting with the Creation of a Self-Established Knigh

Chapter 77 The Pale Golden Camp

Quinn ultimately shook his head and declined Rogge's companion's invitation.

"Rogge, I can't go with you now."

Roger nodded silently.

He could hear the regret in Lao Kui's tone, a kind of helplessness of being firmly bound by responsibility and having to give up what he longed for.

"If you had come to me a few months earlier, I wouldn't be anyone like Yar yet. I would have already gone out into the world with you!"

"It's not possible now. I can't let go of these responsibilities! The villagers haven't been able to return to their homes yet, and I can't abandon them."

C

Roger didn't try to persuade him further.

A man who is truly determined is very difficult to persuade.

Even though he had already guessed Lao Kui's choice, he still couldn't help but sigh when that last bit of hope was completely dashed.

Roger genuinely wanted to recruit Old Quay into the team.

Having gone through these battles, he realized with absolute certainty that his team was desperately lacking a proper physician.

In recent days, countless team members have been injured, and they have barely managed to stay afloat thanks to his experience and candy.

Those candies can enhance physical fitness and indirectly speed up wound healing, but experience candies are too precious, and he simply cannot afford such consumption.

Without proper medical treatment, even minor wound infections can kill many ordinary people.

But with a doctor, things are different.

Old Quay has 15 points in Intelligence, which means that Roger can raise his Medical Skills to a maximum of 5 points!

Although raising his medical skills to five points is only a preliminary increase, as long as Lao Kui can systematically learn basic medical techniques such as disinfection, suturing, and bandaging, and handle enough cases, he can grow from a rural doctor who only knows how to apply herbal medicine to wounds into a senior medical elite who can handle complex injuries and even perform simple amputations in less than two months to half a year!

Five points of medical skills is a level that most rural doctors can hardly reach in their entire lives!

As for the ten points in medical skills?

Rogge couldn't even imagine how powerful that level was.

The skill point allocation rules in Rogue's skill panel can also reflect the power system of some groups in this world.

According to Rogge's panel system, ten points of medical skill require at least thirty points of intelligence as support.

Rogge could not even imagine the sheer volume of reading and knowledge required to achieve thirty points of intelligence.

He has been in this world for several months, and his physical fitness has increased several times over. Even his intelligence has increased from 15 to 16 points due to the overall improvement in his physique.

A being with thirty points of intelligence probably only exists in the songs of bards.

Roger shook his head. It was a pity that he couldn't invite Old Quay, but life had to go on.

Upon entering the simple shack in front of him, Roger fell into a deep sleep on a mat covered with dry grass.

During the day, Roger was awakened by a cacophony of voices.

The shouts of young and strong men, the laughter of women, and the high-pitched squabbles of children.

He rubbed his eyes and sat up. Sunlight had already filtered through the cracks in the shed, casting dappled shadows on the ground.

"The sun is already high in the sky!"

Roger stretched, his bones cracking with a series of popping sounds.

He brushed the grass clippings off his clothes, hung the iron sword back on his waist, lifted the straw curtain, and went outside.

The outside was already crowded with people.

The temporary camp for several hundred people, though chaotic at the moment, exudes a vibrant and tenacious vitality.

The somber atmosphere that had enveloped the camp for some time seemed to have vanished without a trace. Sadness is always temporary; people always have to live.

The villagers all looked tired and disheveled, but their eyes had rekindled their desire for life.

Rogge walked toward the shack where Olsen was, looking around as he went.

Not far ahead, several shirtless men were intently sharpening knives with their heads down.

On the roofs of several sheds, a few men were climbing ladders, repairing the roofs and laying dry straw to fill the gaps.

In the open space in the center of the camp in the distance, several women were squatting and picking vegetables, with fresh, unidentified wild vegetables soaking in a basin.

The older children are already able to help with chores, while the younger children are the most active group in the camp.

They ran around in twos and threes, chasing and playing in the narrow passageways between the sheds.

As Roger was engrossed in watching, a little girl with pigtails ran quickly past him.

The girl was probably only five or six years old. Her bare feet were dark and her clothes were covered in patches.

She was chasing after another companion when, perhaps because she was chasing too fast, she tripped over a blade of grass and fell hard into the mud.

Roger instinctively took a step forward, wanting to reach out and help her.

Before he could even get close, the little girl had already scrambled to her feet.

She acted as if nothing had happened, without uttering a sound of crying or howling. She simply wiped the wet mud off her body and ran off after her companion.

Roger stared at her small figure as she walked away, standing there somewhat stunned, silently thinking:

These farmers' children were really resilient when they were young!

Here, pain has long been a part of the children's lives.

From the moment they learned to walk, they kept falling down and getting back up.

No one will specifically help them up, and no one will comfort them if they fall and hurt themselves.

If this happened in modern times, a child that age who fell like that would probably be crying their heart out.

He shook his head slightly, then turned and continued walking towards the shed in Olsen.

Roger first went around to the small pond.

There was a man guarding the area, who greeted Roger warmly when he saw him.

The man picked up a water-scooping float and scooped a ladle of water for Roger.

After a sip of cool mountain spring water, Roger instantly felt refreshed, and the thirst was completely gone.

Roger washed his face with the water the man handed him, and he was completely awake.

Turning around and arriving at the shed where Olsen was, Roger could already hear Eileen's gentle and melodious voice coming from inside.

"—Don't move around, be careful of your wound! Chief Rogge assured you you'll be fine. As long as you rest and recover, you'll be able to get up in a few days!"

"Thanks to the goddess's blessing, you woke up today—Chief Rogge is truly amazing!"

The girl's voice was soft and sweet, making Roger feel like he was bathed in a spring breeze, and his mood also became pleasant.

Roger coughed softly outside the shed and called out loudly, "Eileen, I'm coming in."

"Brother, Chief Rogge is here!"

Hearing the response from inside, Roger lifted the straw curtain and went in.

The moment Eileen saw Roger, a look of surprise flashed across her face, and her face lit up with a bright smile.

The moment Roger saw the girl's appearance, his gaze faltered slightly.

Today, Eileen took off her cold chainmail and wore the ordinary gray linen dress she wore in the evening.

The clothes were a bit old, but they looked very clean.

The slightly thin clothes she wore accentuated the girl's slender figure.

Her light golden hair was neatly tied back, revealing her smooth forehead and delicate, fair face.

Upon seeing Roger enter, the girl had already sat up straight, exuding a clean and refreshing aura.

Eileen's eyes curved into crescents: "Chief Rogge, you've arrived."

Roger smiled and nodded, looking at Olsen lying on the bed.

"Brother, Chief Rogge has come to see you," Eileen whispered in Olsen's ear.

Roger could tell that Olsen was already awake, and that Aino was still Irene, so she must have already told him about her situation.

He was almost entirely wrapped in strips of linen, and could only lie there motionless.

His face was swollen, one eye was wrapped in thick gauze, and the other eye could only be opened slightly.

Hearing his sister's words, Olsen laboriously twisted his neck and turned towards Roger.

He tried to open his uninjured eye, but it must have aggravated the wound on his face, because Roger could even see the muscles in his face twitching uncontrollably.

"Don't move around, Orsenyar." Roger walked to the grass mat, squatted down next to Orsenyar, and gently comforted him.

"Your injuries are severe, you should rest and recuperate."

Olsen's trembling and struggling stopped, and he made a gurgling sound as if air was leaking from his mouth.

He seemed to use all his strength to squeeze out two words through gritted teeth: "Thank you—"

Roger smiled and patted his arm. "Take good care of your injury. I'll handle everything else!"

After speaking, Roger looked up at Eileen and inquired about Olsen's situation.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw a bundle of dry grass spread out in the corner of the shed, where Aino was curled up, fast asleep, snoring softly. He was obviously exhausted from working all night yesterday.

"Chief Rogge, thank you!"

My brother woke up in the middle of the night, and my sister stayed with him all night until he finally fell asleep just before dawn!

Eileen answered softly, her voice melodious and pleasant, her pace neither too fast nor too slow, which made Roger feel very comfortable.

Olsen, lying to the side, listened quietly to the two talking.

As Roger greeted him politely and spoke without any demands, his tense body gradually relaxed and his breathing became steady.

After sitting for a few minutes, Roger got up to say goodbye.

As soon as I stepped out of the shed, I saw God striding towards me.

When Gode saw Roger, he greeted him with a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile: "I've finally found you! Aunt Slin has already prepared dinner and asked me to call you over for lunch!"

"Okay, let's go!" Roger nodded, and the two walked side by side toward the center of the camp.

The center of the camp was now filled with people.

Rogge's team members found places to sit, some on logs, some on tree stumps, each holding a rough earthenware bowl and munching on stew.

Upon seeing Rogge approach, the team members all stood up, bowls in hand, to greet him.

Several large earthenware pots were set up in the center of the camp, with firewood burning fiercely at the bottom of the pots. The smoke from the firewood piles swirled in the air, carrying a faint smell of grass and wood.

Aunt Slin and several other women were busy around a heavy wooden table, and their faces immediately lit up with smiles when they saw Roger.

"Rogge, kid, we've been waiting for you!"

She quickly put down what she was doing, picked up a large ceramic bowl, and wiped the inside of the bowl directly with the apron in front of her.

Roger's eyes twitched. Aunt Slin's apron was covered in stains—it didn't look very clean.

Aunt Slin personally served Roger a full bowl of stew.

He handed the bowl to Roger, saying, "I heard you were busy all day and night yesterday, you must be exhausted! Eat more!"

Roger took the bowl and looked down at it.

The bowl contained a thick porridge made from oats, barley, and chickpeas, mixed with some chopped green vegetables.

Although it looks ordinary, it has a unique aroma of grain.

Roger picked up the spoon, scooped up a mouthful, and ate it.

The stew was cooked to perfection, with the subtle sweetness of chickpeas and a hint of salt.

Roger, holding his bowl, casually found a place to sit and, without thinking twice, began to eat heartily.

He would occasionally look up at the busy people around him.

The women were busy in front of the firewood pile, while the men behind them chatted and laughed, and the children chased and played not far away.

The golden morning sunlight bathed everyone, gilding the entire campsite with a pale, new-looking gold.

Although it's chaotic here, at least everyone is still alive!

Roger lowered his head and continued to savor the subtle, sweet taste in the bowl.