Witch Troupe and the Undead

"I wonder what kind of people you are..." The mayor's wife was about to speak when her husband elbowed her into silence. Hilarious, there's definitely something wrong with these people being here.

However, the fact that these people were covered in blood here suggests that their small town couldn't possibly have managed to do this, so it's best not to ask anything inappropriate at this point.

Don't wait until they're gone to find out that you and your family knew too much; that would truly mean the extinction of your entire family.

"Martha, have everyone vacate the rooms, and send the children to your brother's house for a few days." The mayor had already decided that his entire family would move out, leaving only necessary servants, to minimize the chance of him knowing anything or getting splattered with blood.

Of course, a small town like this wouldn't have any good culinary experts, and the dinner served was hardly delicious. Each person had a large plate of stewed meat soup with green beans, cream, and expensive spices, but because of this, it was hard to call it tasty; it was just "food for humans."

Then came the perfectly toasted white bread, its sides slightly charred from the oven fire, emitting a unique, caramelized aroma of wheat that was even more enticing than the broth. A large block of Himalayan cheese sat in the center of the table, its wheel-shaped surface gleaming with a golden sheen, its interior a warm, creamy white, without a trace of any gamey or muttony smell.

"How did they do that..." Roach, who had experienced white food and the famous "goat cheese" on Earth, was very curious. How did this thing achieve this level of quality? It only had an exceptionally rich milky aroma and a faint sweetness. Although it wasn't very sweet, it wasn't greasy, nor did it turn sour or smelly, and it certainly didn't have a fishy or gamey smell.

“Oh, Antania Himalayan cheese! I’d almost forgotten what it tasted like. It’s the biggest downside of the old railway line being abandoned!” Rhine exclaimed in realization, then explained it to Roach and the little witch who was curiously poking at the cheese chunks on the plate with her fork.

The town mayor, standing to the side, smiled without saying a word. Although those inconvenient "revenue-generating methods" couldn't be used, there were still normal revenue-generating plans, weren't there? Selling local specialties to wealthy nobles from the capital who happened to be passing through the area was a feasible and easy-to-implement revenue-generating plan anywhere.

"Antania argali is a type of argali that lives in the territory of the Antania family. It is classified as a ferocious-level monster." Although it is a herbivore, it is indeed ferocious-level because this type of argali lives on rock walls. Although it is not large in size, it is extremely fast, roughly equivalent to the speed and reaction speed of a warrior at the "Extraordinary Agility II" level.

This means that when capturing them, it is easy to be pierced by their long horns. It wasn't until an ancestor of the Anta family named "Antania" developed a ritual spell specifically for hypnotizing monsters that these monsters were gradually downgraded from "Ferocious" to "Harmless" and became one of the main livestock for economic purposes in the region.

However, even so, the sheep's milk actually has a stronger fishy smell. But the locals found a herb that this bharal likes. When preparing and fermenting the cheese, they first boil it at a low temperature with this herb, and then add a secret recipe of bacteria to ferment it. This is how this "golden cheese" was formed.

Roach could only describe it as a magical creature from another world combined with magical craftsmanship. Although such a thing would probably become a luxury item on Earth in no time, it didn't seem to have anything particularly magical about it in this world.

Of course, it tastes much better than regular goat or sheep cheese, but it's not good enough to justify the empire's willingness to maintain a railway line for its preservation and supply.

“However, this cheese is produced in small quantities and was rarely sold in the past,” Rhine said, then crushed the golden cream crust on the surface and spread the cheese on the bread slices.

"This should be a whole year's output, right?"

“Well, now that everyone has raised more, it’s not that exaggerated,” the mayor paused for a moment, then waved his hand. “But it’s about right. However, there’s still quite a lot left, so don’t be too polite. There’s enough for you gentlemen to enjoy.”

The implication was clear to everyone, and replenishing food supplies along the way was one of the main tasks of this stop, because if they didn't replenish them soon, they would run out of even dried beans—of course, there was still plenty of wild game meat—but how unpalatable would wild game be without salt, oil, and seasoning…

Just think about the spice trade routes and the Silk Road on Earth, and how humans dared to add things like chili peppers and dogwood to meat, and you'll understand. Our ancestors wouldn't lie to you; if the meat of wild animals and food is unpalatable, it really is unpalatable.

You can imagine how bad it must be if even Livia can't stand the taste. You know, the little witch can swallow those filling magical pastries without any expression. It's just that ordinary unpleasantness is not enough to make her resist.

So, faced with the small bag of gold that Roach pulled out, the mayor decisively collected all the cheese in town and sent it to the train carriage. For the locals, being able to do such a business after winter was an unexpected bonus. As for what to eat during the Midwinter Festival, it was easy to solve. They wouldn't die if they didn't eat during the festival, but if they missed this one, they didn't know when the next train would come.

Meanwhile, inside the Anta family's castle, the current head of the Anta family was entertaining guests, and the golden cheese on the table received high praise from the guests.

"We've hardly ever heard of this local specialty outside of our area!"

"Haha, probably because production is limited." Even with limited production, with the disruption of railway trade, there is a large amount of unsold inventory that cannot be sent out. The prices offered by the merchants who come to buy it are completely different from the prices offered by the railway companies back in the days of railway transportation.

Of course, it also depends on the volume and cost of transportation. After all, the economic level of Rye Valley and Lywood counties is what it is, while it is much more expensive to send goods to places like the capital.

Putting aside the fact that Catherfield County itself produces a variety of high-quality dairy products, the transportation costs alone would be astronomical. Nothing beats the speed of the railroad. Starting from here, even via the old lines, it would reach the capital in a week at most. The freshly made cheese might not even be past its best-before date. If the nobles in the capital are willing to pay a premium, then the railroad company is naturally willing to pay to buy it.

"It's a pity we can't take too much with us, otherwise we could have bought more."

"No need, consider these as a gift." The head of the Anta family waved his hand dismissively. Compared to the "big deal" they had just finalized regarding a whole cartload of mithril ingots, these were indeed small gifts.

If it were any other noble family, they might have been preparing a trap, but the Anta family was much wealthier, and they genuinely intended to manage their territory. For them, these mithril ingots were not as valuable as their own commercial reputation.

Moreover, if these four guests can bring a cartload of mithril ingots, they can bring two cartloads or even more. Even if they don't, other merchants who hear the news will transport these strategic resources one after another. Although there is no such story as "spending a thousand pieces of gold to buy a horse's bones" in this world, the principle is the same.

“Well, since you gentlemen aren’t in a hurry to leave, I do have a request…” The Anta family head put down his wine cup and looked at the four adventurers. “Are you interested?”

"Uh..." The four people exchanged glances.

"200 gold coins upfront, with additional funds available depending on circumstances"

"That's fine!" The wizard nodded immediately. After deducting expenses such as treasure maps and equipment maintenance, they didn't make much money from selling mithril. Although they still had a cartload of mithril and some magic-blocking gold, continuing to sell would drive down the market price. Therefore, how to make a living during this interval was a very serious question.

Chapter 210 Memories of the Sudden Catching Up

"What exactly is this job?" Wizard Maripol asked after a moment of thought. The advance payment of two hundred gold coins meant that this job would inevitably involve monsters of panic level or enemies of similar strength, and it would be impossible to avoid combat and resource consumption. The only difference was whether this money and the final payment could cover the cost of the commission.

"The investigation, of course, I don't want to keep it from you all~" King Anta II rubbed the huge ring on his finger, "It's related to some secret sects, so you may encounter things like fanatics or things that are hard to explain by common sense."

"Oh?" The priest raised an eyebrow. This was quite unusual among various adventure quests, because local lords rarely targeted religious forces unless their rule was threatened. Moreover, cults were usually dealt with only because of pressure from the church.

In fact, many local lords had intricate connections with these cults, after all, as an old empire proverb says, "Gold has no name," doesn't it?

"They are wealthy, not in the way you think, but they are very wealthy," the lord said meaningfully. "According to the laws of the Empire and the ancient laws, all the wealth on the territory should belong to the lord. Commoners only have the right to use it, not the right to own it. In my opinion, this law is also somewhat flawed. Those lowly people should not even have the right to use it. However, that is not what we are going to discuss now."

"Okay, I understand."

"What do you understand? What did he say?" The hammer knight asked the wizard, completely bewildered. His companions also seemed to understand something. This made the lord take another look at the guy. His gaze lingered for a moment on the bear head emblem surrounded by oak trees on the knight's breastplate, and then he also showed an expression of "I knew it."

"The 'war beasts' of the Wild Beast Knights... that's not surprising."

This order of knights was famous among the nobles because they never complained about the difficulty or content of their work. They were willing to do any job, even the dirtiest ones. The order consisted of two parts: clerks, instructors, and knights formed one group, while the remaining knights and squires formed another.

Their most distinctive feature is that, unlike other knightly orders where elite knights charge with squires, they rely more on these "squires" or "war beasts".

The Knights would select tall and strong children from impoverished miners' and fishermen's families, as well as suitable candidates from orphanages. These children would then grow up in a quasi-military environment and be given various secret medicines to enhance their physical abilities.

Rather than training squires and knights, it's more like taming qualified war beasts. Their minds and intelligence are affected by large amounts of potions, becoming dull along with their senses. This makes them tireless and painless on the battlefield, like raging brown bears. At the same time, their overly simple minds are more obedient to commands.

These war beasts would be taken to the battlefield in batches by the knight commanders responsible for training them, until they were exhausted and died in battle. Their equipment would be stripped off, repaired, and then installed on new war beasts. This cycle would continue, and most of the knights' profits would be pocketed by the upper-level knight commanders, clerks, and instructors.

These beast-like youths could only adhere to strict rules throughout their lives, unable to enjoy any benefits. They only had vegetables and coarse grains and bean porridge every day, and occasionally some black bread and cured beef, after all, their physical strength and physique were also an important asset to the Knights.

"However, could such a large 'war beast' survive... did it escape?" The lord frowned slightly as he looked at the giant hammer knight's thick brown beard. Due to the extensive use of drugs, these "war beasts" usually did not live for long, either dying on the battlefield or in the barracks due to the increasing dosage of drugs.

Those animal trainers wouldn't let these dangerous beasts live long enough to become cunning, nor would they let them live long enough to collect their retirement. After all, once they get old, these guys have no value, and it's better to use them to breed the next batch than to waste medicine and money on them.

Most knightly orders train their squires in horsemanship and mounted combat, but not their warhorses. Horses are too expensive, and it's not appropriate to use them on consumables. They are also rare "walking knights".

Only the knight commanders had warhorses, not only for their status but also to ensure that they could escape on horseback if the battle went against them, while the wild beasts would be abandoned on the battlefield.

"Should we negotiate with the Knights..." the lord pondered. "No, it's better to wait until they finish their work."

Whether or not to do this depends on how well these people perform and their strength. If they are strong enough, then it's not impossible to help cover it up. As a favor, no nobleman would mind having a good relationship with a group of highly skilled mercenaries or adventurers. After all, everyone has their troubles.

"What are the specifics of the commission?" The wizard gave the priest a wink, signaling him to calm down the big bear in the team.

"It's very simple. Several of my villages and towns have seen the emergence of some... strange beliefs. I require you to find out the source of these beliefs and the harm they pose to my territory and wealth. Of course, as a generous lord, I allow you to take up no more than 30% of the proceeds as an additional bonus."

King Antar II paused for a moment and then said, "However, the people and towns are also important assets of the family, and I don't want to have to spend more gold coins to clean up a mess later."

The implication was that these people shouldn't approach things with the simplistic plan of killing them all. What he wanted wasn't to eliminate these cultists, but to figure out where their wealth came from and get his hands on it. For this, he was willing to give up nearly a third of this fortune as a reward for the adventurers.

"My esteemed sir, I need more detailed information. After all, we've only just arrived and don't even know where these villages are." The meaning was clear: they needed more detailed intelligence and extra money.

“Hmm… You can ask my steward or the captain of the guard for details. As for…” King Anta II frowned, but considering how much he had lost if this wealth fell into the hands of those commoners, he reluctantly agreed, “If you can bring detailed evidence, I will set a price for each piece of ‘evidence’ separately.”

He emphasized the word "evidence," and the evidence he wanted probably wasn't the literal kind of evidence of cult activities, but rather the heads of those he believed were "thieves" who were "stealing the Anta family's wealth."

"As for the prisoners... you can deal with them. I don't want any violations of imperial law on my territory." The empire prohibits open slave trading, but the lord has made it very clear.

He doesn't want this kind of transaction to happen on his territory, at least not in public. If you take it to the neighboring area to sell, he'll pretend he didn't see it. Or if you trade locally, as long as you don't get caught, he'll pretend he didn't see it either.

"Then we understand."

"That's good... I hope you all have a good time." The lord and the wizard smiled together, but the hammer-wielding knight kept asking his companion what he understood. He didn't understand anything, and didn't even know how much the reward was.

Meanwhile, in the small town of Valley Station, the mayor had tried his best to make arrangements, but he could only provide Roach and his group with fewer than five proper beds. The rest of them had to make do with sleeping on the floor and sofas for the night.

Fortunately, there was a lumberyard and a carpentry workshop in town. One of Natalia's knights said that he used to be a carpenter and that if they had enough tools and materials, they could quickly build a new batch of beds to install in the carriages, so that everyone would no longer have to make do.

The town's market starts around seven or eight in the morning and ends around eleven. People from the surrounding villages and settlements come to trade. Because of the large population, there are also proper bakeries and ovens in the town. However, when there is enough time, Alessina is not in a hurry to buy bread directly, but chooses to buy flour and bake it himself.

"Master Roach, is this really going to work?" Rhine hesitated as he watched Roach pull out a section of the pipes from the magical furnace he had made and connect it to an oven that a little witch had conjured from stones and mud. "I'm not talking about baking bread. I mean, won't this really damage the train's power?"

“What problems could there be if we’re all fire elementals?” Roach said, indicating it was fine, and then added, “Even if there are problems, Miss is here, isn’t she?” Livia’s face showed a helpless expression, like a tired mother wiping a child’s bottom.

As Roach activated the magic furnace, the flames formed by the elemental blocks quickly filled the furnace chamber. The fire elemental power was so concentrated that it would have turned into a massive fireball spell in the next second if left unrestrained. However, after Livia reached out her hand, the flames quietly remained in the furnace chamber.

"Clang!" Alessina shoved a large iron plate full of dough into the oven space above the firebox, followed by another large iron plate.

The biggest cost of baking bread comes from fuel. After all, it takes a long time to heat a stone or clay oven to 250-300 degrees Celsius using wood and charcoal, especially considering the need for heat preservation. These ovens are heavy and large, so heating them up takes even longer.

However, under the witch's manipulation, the phlogiston flames from the magic furnace were enough to turn even stones into lava. "Clang!" The staff gently tapped the ground, and rings of runes formed from charcoal ash bound the flames. The intersecting patterns of light left the local townspeople nearby dumbfounded, and the baker looked terrified.

This is the first time in my life I've seen bread baked with magical flames. It's not that it's impossible, but first, you need elemental fuel. The material cost of one elemental fuel block is just ordinary charcoal, which is about one silver coin. However, the material cost of the fire elemental essence that can process this stuff into elemental fuel blocks is one gold coin, not to mention the labor cost of the essence and the elemental fuel blocks themselves.

Secondly, you need an arcane mage at least at the Star Silver level to perform the "Dance of Fire" ritual for you, thus keeping the flames within a safe range, instead of a super fireball that blows your furnace and everyone away.

Finally, you'll need someone to help adjust the heat, so the oven doesn't turn into molten lava, and you can ensure the bread is baked, not burnt.

The bread that Roach and his friends baked was certainly not the kind of rye bread that the villagers ate. Although it was also made by mixing rye flour with wheat flour, they added a little egg white and beer for fermentation, and they also spread some butter on the iron pan and the surface of the bread while baking.

Soon, the dough expanded under the high temperature, and the crust naturally cracked open in a cross shape. After about twenty minutes of baking, the witch raised her hand, the light curtain that sealed the oven door collapsed, and one hot iron plate after another flew out. The Thunderbird Knight and Kangor and the others hurriedly collected these still scalding hot breads and put them back on the wooden shelves in the train's storage room.

Following the principle that baking bread is baking, and grilling meat is grilling, large chunks of beef are boiled in salt water, then seasoned with spices and roasted into large pieces of beef jerky. Combined with sausages and cured meats purchased in town, this is basically enough food for the journey.

Due to the season, there were hardly any fresh vegetables available. The only options were tuberous plants similar to potatoes and some dried fruits and preserves that could be stored for a long time. Moreover, these were obtained from the mayor's house; ordinary people could not afford such expensive foods.

"My lords..." The mayor hesitated for a moment, clutching a letter as he approached Roach and his men who were about to depart. Rhine, who hadn't wanted to cause any trouble, raised an eyebrow slightly after seeing the emblem on the envelope. "What happened?"

"There is a letter from you, sir. I... I don't know who sent it." Rhine took the letter. It was sent by one of his secret agents. There was nothing substantial in it, just a bunch of nonsense, but this nonsense itself was a form of intelligence and information transmission.

“The plans have changed,” Rhine began. “We need to stay here a little longer.”

"Hmm?" Black Crow instinctively gripped his weapon. The sentence he couldn't bear to hear most right now was "the plan has changed."

“The Florosole family is currently preoccupied with their own problems. On the contrary… if we continue forward, things might go wrong. His Majesty has instructed us to linger here for a while longer.” The nonsense itself was meaningless, but the act of spouting nonsense was precisely to buy time for Rhine.

Now it's a test of endurance. The Emperor is waiting for the Frost family to reveal more of their true colors, while the Frost family needs to handle everything before the train leaves their territory.

In other words, the longer Rhine and his group stay here, the more power the Floros family may use and the more information they may reveal.

"In other words, we are the bait he uses to catch fish, aren't we?" Black Crow sneered.

“In a sense, that’s true, but don’t forget what’s in our team,” Rhine said. “So, we’re not the most dangerous bait; rather, we’re more like a bobber floating on the surface.”

“The real bait is His Majesty’s life and that position,” Rhine said. After all, every day they delay will worsen the Emperor’s health, and by the time they arrive, even Livia may be powerless to help.

"Is there anything else?" Rhine looked at the mayor, who was standing far away but had not left.

"It's like this, gentlemen, it's a small matter, but since you're not in a hurry to leave..." The mayor wiped his sweat while carefully choosing his words. "Recently, there have been some... rumors circulating in the town and in the river bend."

"gossip?"

"A strange cult claims to grant any wish; their members are incredibly generous, and many villages..."

“Sectarian sect? That…” Rhine instinctively wanted to say that it had nothing to do with them, but then he caught a key phrase: “Can any wish be granted?”

"Yes, as long as you pass a test, you can make a wish, and your wish will definitely come true. Even if you fail the test, you can still get a large sum of money." The mayor had considered it, but compared to those villagers who didn't have much brains, he was more knowledgeable and knew that the easier it was to get money, the more serious the aftereffects would be.

"So what do they want? Or rather, what are those tests?"

"I don't know about that, but recently many people in the town have been worshipping that sect, and many young people have been bewitched, spending their days doing nothing but thinking about getting the chance to fulfill all their wishes... Moreover, many influential people are also worried."

Because it's about "all wishes" rather than simply "gaining wealth," it means that some people's wishes might involve others, especially powerful individuals like themselves. Of course, if given a wish, they wouldn't mind joining, but this sect currently has no intention of recruiting them.

Well, it's not that they didn't have this intention; to be precise, they didn't put enough effort into winning them over, and it lacked appeal.

"So, what exactly do you want us to do?" Rhine interrupted the mayor.

"You are all noble adults, far more knowledgeable than a lowly being like me. I wanted to ask..."

"Is this considered a cult within the Empire?" Rhine saw right through the other person's thoughts. They were tempted, but worried about being purged by the Empire if they joined some shady organization, so they hoped to gain the approval of the nobles above them.

"Forget about it. Even if it really is a legitimate church, with this kind of power and wealth, the Holy Lord Church and your lord will condemn it as a cult, unless it can stand against your lord's knights. But, at that point..." At that point, the conflict would be beyond the survival of a small valley town mayor like you.

"What exactly does that sect believe in?"

“Um, I’m not quite sure. A strange entity called Gregory.” “Gregory?” Roach and the others’ expressions turned serious. Wasn’t that the thing down in the Rubyshire mine? Had it already escaped here and even organized its own forces?

However, that thing seemed to be very afraid of the Goddess of the Night, and they had a proper representative of the goddess and a divine sword of the goddess here, so it would be difficult for the other party not to attack them.

It seems too late to run away now, and according to Roach's experience, the more you try to escape in this situation, the stronger the enemy becomes as they grow, leading to the classic scenario where you can't escape and have no ability to resist.

Chapter 211 What kind of mischief could a cat possibly have?

The dim oil lamp illuminated a corner of the forest. Withered vines entwined around regular stones, the inscriptions on them severely worn. Decaying bones were carelessly discarded beside the tombstones. Villagers carrying lanterns waded through waist-deep grass, one step at a time, until they reached the entrance of the dilapidated chapel in the center of the cemetery.

"Brother John, why are you so late?" the man holding a wooden stick, who was guarding the door, asked loudly.

"Keep your voice down!" the villager carrying the lantern said helplessly. "Those damned vampires seem to have discovered something. We'd better be on high alert these next few days. Where is the bishop?"

"They're inside~" The guards clearly hadn't received any real guard training. Rather, they were just ordinary farmers from the lower classes, used to speaking in a loud and boisterous voice, and lacked sufficient alertness.

"Shh~" "Who's there!" John raised his lamp and shone it into the forest. He hadn't received any special training either; otherwise, he wouldn't have done something as suicidal as raising a lamp. Instead, he would have decisively extinguished the lamp and torch, informed the people inside that something had happened outside, and ordered them to scatter and run away immediately.

"Rookies..." The swordsman carrying the greatsword seemed to be referring to either his companions or these self-proclaimed infallible individuals. Calling them cultists was an understatement; no wonder the lord caught them red-handed. These people called themselves the "Holy Fire Faction," claiming they could gain some kind of revelation from flames.

To be honest, there are at least eighty or a hundred similar sects. However, what's abnormal is that those who join these sects become wealthy and their personalities change drastically. Farmers who were originally timid and submissive suddenly become confident and even dare to clash with the lord's tax collector.