Warriors will die if they charge.

"Wow, the handsome knight actually drew his sword at the militia, this is going to be troublesome."

Baron Moraka seemed oblivious to Kuran's lame joke. He raised his longsword high and swung it down with steady, powerful strokes, slashing forward amidst the militiamen's mocking gazes.

A longsword with a counterweight wrapped in linen blocked the knight's longsword with clean and swift movements, catching the baron's punishment steadily despite the obvious height difference.

Zhuo Er, standing in the crowd, dropped the fruit he had just bought. In the shadow of his cloak, his eyes, which had been icy cold, turned completely crimson. His long sword was drawn silently, and a sharp steel blade extended from his cloak.

Bardin stood in front of Trish and said in a deep voice, "Killing will cause trouble, but a tough guy can handle it."

"The threat should be eliminated immediately. Negotiation and probing are the least effective methods." Trish's icy voice made Bardin cover his forehead. He had almost forgotten that this woman who only complained was a half-drow living in the Underdark.

If Trish is allowed to enter, she will not let anyone off the hook.

"Listen to me, you haven't adapted to how conflict is handled on the surface. Swords are effective, but they can't solve problems."

Trish's blade remained unsheathed, gleaming brightly outside her cloak. The crowd, intimidated by her icy aura, kept a distance. She said softly, "But I can solve the problem now."

Marcus, who blocked the Baron's swing, offered a tactful assessment:

"I must say, this baron's arms are weak, not even as strong as Old John's fist at the dock."

"That's Hank, the forgetful gambler." Kuran rolled his eyes at Marcus, kicked the end of the spear, and the spearhead whirled as it pierced the long neck of the knight on the white horse.

scoff.

The sharp spear tore through the cotton robe, and blood flowed from the gun hole that had sunk into his neck. Kuran gripped the spear tightly, pulled his arms to the side, and the white horse tilted to one side, neighing as it lay in a pool of blood.

In the baron's eyes, there was only Marcus who dared to rebel; he was indifferent to the death of his mount, as cold as a statue.

He leaped up, using the momentum of his horse's back as leverage, and raised his longsword high above his head, striking the commoner's head with the force of a thunderbolt.

Blood Oath, this longsword obtained from the treasure vault of Emmaus is extremely tough and sharp.

He didn't understand why, after getting drunk and gazing into Trissy's beautiful eyes, she would give the magic sword such a cheesy name, but that didn't diminish his trust in the sword.

The blood oath lifted him up, and the thunderous strike made Marcus's arm feel heavy, but it quickly returned to normal.

As the baron landed, he shifted his weight and kicked the steel groin guard of his armor with a resounding clang.

A battle was imminent, but Moraz still wanted to salvage the situation. Standing behind Baron Moraka, he lowered his voice and said:

"Brother, stop! We're not here to punish commoners, leave this to me!"

The baron seemed to obey his brother's every word. A dent was clearly visible in his iron groin guard. He drew the longsword he had been fighting with Marcus and stood silently beside Moraz, showing no concern for his struggling and neighing mount in the pool of blood.

Moraz took out an old-fashioned parchment scroll from his pocket and said calmly to the two ringleaders:

"This is the baronial certificate bestowed upon Pilos Visi by His Majesty Bruno II. The king's decree clearly states that the forests on both sides of the Nileca River, and the people on the land, belong to the Visi family, and this will never change for all eternity. Do you intend to oppose the Griffin Kingdom?"

"La la la~, I don't understand anything about His Majesty Bruno II, but now that I've killed you, you'll soon become a subject of the Water Queen." Marcus lied through his teeth, actually not knowing anything about the situation.

But everyone dislikes these idiots, so let's be the ones to lead the charge... and settle things.

Moraz remained calm, rolled up the baron's badge, and looked at the two grinning young men:

"I'm here on business. I want to see your mayor. Even in Riverside Town, far from the heart of the Griffin Kingdom, you can't just kill people at will."

"Okay, this is fucking boring." Marcus clicked his tongue, looked at the excited mercenaries, then at the white horse lying in a pool of blood, and suddenly had a good idea.

I've never had horse meat before, and I'm already getting a sumptuous meal as soon as I get back. Life is really good.

-

"Oh, it smells so good, hehe."

A horse leg was the biggest haul of the day, Marcus chuckled, and ladled another spoonful for Trish.

"Eat more. The adventure must have exhausted you; your skin is all tanned."

Rye beer diners gathered in Marcus's spacious and beautiful courtyard for a meal, the main dish of which was, of course, horse legs unloaded from the square.

As for the other parts, they were all taken by the enthusiastic villagers. Even the blood that flowed on the ground was enthusiastically swarmed by the mosquitoes, who were native residents of Linhe Town, eager to taste the flavors of the city.

Trish nodded and ate a piece of horse meat cut into finger-thick slices. It was quite fibrous, chewy, and had a faint, pleasant aroma; it tasted very good.

She put down her bowl and asked hesitantly, "Won't the people in the square be in the way?"

Which aspect are you referring to?

"It's just..." Trissy hesitated for a moment, then said, drawing on her experience in the Underdark, "Nobles would force commoners to do things they didn't want to do, such as paying taxes, working, serving as soldiers, and even periodically conscripting some commoners to sacrifice to the gods."

She took a small bite of horse meat and thought to herself, "I owe Marcus a lot of money. If they dare to ask me to pay taxes, I'll kill them."

"Hmm..." Marcus stopped eating and began to ponder the question.

I heard that the Visi family is doing quite well in Silver Mountain City and doesn't care about the meager tax revenue from Linhe Town. They are both nobles and merchants, and they have no shortage of status and wealth. Why would they come to Linhe Town to suffer?

The human and financial costs required to generate the meager tax revenue from the forestry industry seem disproportionate to the profits.

Seeing Marcus deep in thought, Trish's long, strong hand slid the wooden spoon across her neck; she could silently take care of the Vissi brothers in the square.

"Don't overthink it. If we're going to deal with it, we'll do it openly and honestly. I'll go ask Uncle Fielding tomorrow and see what the elders' attitude is... Bardin, leave me some!"

Bardin laughed heartily: "Hard man, I've traveled to so many places in the human world and only ever seen commoners kneeling at the feet of nobles begging for mercy, but what you just did has changed my impression."

"You meet your lord whom you haven't seen for forty years, and you slaughter his horse for meat. You've got some nerve!"

"Forty years is not a short time, Bardin. Most people in the town have forgotten what it's like to be ruled by nobles. The commoners you meet outside need the noble lords to guarantee their safety, but the people of Riverside Town can survive in this dangerous rainforest on their own."

The dwarf and the half-drow exchanged a glance. Yes, forty years is indeed a long time for humans, but for long-lived species, it is only a short period of time.