Three Philosophical Questions for Travelers

Chapter 14: Ganging up with Dreyer, a

"So, dear Lord Magnolia, we are not a master-servant relationship, but a cooperative relationship." Dreyer looked at the woman in front of him and said, "This is a win-win business, right? Lord Magnolia , are you willing to live in this unlucky place for the rest of your life?"

Opposite Dryer sat a tall northern woman.She appeared to be in her twenties, wearing leather armor and the stiff cloth uniform of a police officer, with armbands on her arms and a sharp sword at her waist.This person is Magnolia, the garrison captain of Rotten Flesh Beach.The first time Dreyer saw her was at the Night Casino.The woman's fierce swordsmanship left a deep impression on him.

Now Dreyer needs her help.

Magnolia herself is very good at swordsmanship, and has dozens of people under her command.And she has the power of emergency conscription. As long as she wants, she can recruit militiamen from the surrounding outposts, checkpoints and even villages and towns, and the number can reach up to two hundred.With two hundred militiamen plus the mercenaries hired by Delaire, Delaire estimated that he could make up more than 300 people.If these people are used well, they can help him eliminate the Necromancer Association or the Wolf Stone Clan.

And getting Magnolia's help is the first step of his plan.

"Okay, Lord Mayor, I understand what you mean. But you should also know that I am in charge of law and order here under the order of the Marquis of Wine City. I didn't say in the letter of appointment that I would obey the mayor. Between you and me It doesn't matter." Magnolia raised her legs impatiently, "I understand what I said."

"Rules are dead, people are alive. If we cooperate, I can make money, and you can also get promoted-don't you want to leave this place? A young girl like you should not be in a rotten meat beach."

Magnolia fell silent, and Dreyer had already noticed that although this woman was skilled in swordsmanship and was upright, she had no opinions and was hesitant to do things.

"I have to... think about it again." Magnolia said, "I don't want to get involved in gang fights, and I don't want to be promoted to other places. I just..." She stroked her temple hair, her face There was a look of complete melancholy on his face.

Dreyer has long felt that there is something wrong with this woman. Her face looks like a northerner, and her behavior also reveals an aristocratic air-this could not be the daughter of some noble lord who sneaked out?But if he really ran out, how could he run to this crappy place?

Hmm...maybe a troubled noble lady?Kind of possible.

So he smiled and said, "My lord, do you like maple syrup?"

The woman froze for a moment and said, "I love to eat, what's the matter?"

That's right.

Maple syrup is only available in the northern border, and it is expensive; maple syrup cake is a dessert often eaten by northern nobles.Ordinary people have never seen it, not to mention eating it, and they don't even know how to spell the word "maple sugar cake".If she was a girl from an ordinary family, she would definitely ask: What is maple syrup cake?

(Note: The local language is written in pinyin. 'Maple sugar cake' is an independent long word, which cannot be understood as "pastry made with maple sugar" by understanding Chinese words)

Rotten meat beach is located in the south-central position, and no one knows what maple syrup is.And she not only knew, but also answered "love to eat", which explains some problems.This girl is from the north, and there is a high probability that she is an aristocrat.

I've got a chance to investigate this woman's identity, Delair thought, but not now.

Now he decided to take this woman to drink some wine, a little liquor might help her make up her mind.

Dreyer had his own way of persuading people to drink. He called a few brothers and bought some of Magnolia's subordinates, and everyone invited her to drink at night.This woman didn't have her own opinion, and she wouldn't reject others. When everyone coaxed her like this, she nodded and agreed.In the evening, Delaire brought the best wine, and specially recruited a northern cook to cook a few bold dishes.Relying on these things, he gradually managed to get words out of Magnolia's mouth.

"To tell you the truth, I sneaked out from home." The woman said to him, "I can't tell you too much about the family, I just...uh..." She rubbed her forehead, With a troubled face, "I hate those nobles. I hate those who order me. You see, I am a swordsman, not a young lady."

"Then what kind of swordsman are you?" Dreyer tried to guide her thoughts with words, "A swordsman can be a knight, a mercenary, or a robber. Which one do you want to be?"

"Of course I am..." She suddenly fell silent in the middle of the sentence, and then she took a swig of her wine and said, "I think it's nice to be a robber."

"That's not what you mean," Dreyer said.

The woman fell silent, and then she sneered and said, "Why should I tell you the truth? What's the point of telling you?"

"As I said at the beginning, we are friends and partners. If you don't trust me, how can I help you?"

"What's in it for you if you help me?"

"Win-win, double-win! Win!" Dreyer said, slapping the table, "How many times have I said this, you people, after staying in a dirty place like Rotten Meat Beach for a long time, all you think is It's intrigue. I'm not! I'm a serious businessman, and I know how to make a lot of money! If you want to make a lot of money, you can't do it by cheating. You need to make a fortune with everyone, so that someone will support you and cooperate with you. Only your road gets wider and wider, right?" Dreyer saw that her glass was empty, so he poured her another glass of wine, "I don't think you are a bad person, so let me tell you straight, I want Use your strength to manage the rotten meat beach. You see, I am the mayor, how can I tolerate the chaos in this town? You are the captain of the guard, and it is your duty to ensure law and order, right?"

Magnolia said: "I really want to make this town peaceful, but it's too difficult. Dreyer, you also know how powerful these gangsters are in the rotten meat bank. I want to be a justice people, but we can’t do it, do you understand?” She drank down the wine, and Dreyer wanted to pour her wine, but she pushed him away, “You and I, the two of us, can’t fight a wolf The Stone Clan and the Necromancer Association!"

As expected, this woman had drunk too much, and she was directly pronounced by the names of the two major gangs.Dreyer was afraid that someone would spread rumors and inform, so he hurriedly said: "No! Who said we are going to deal with them? I just want to deal with thieves, robbers and smugglers, as well as beggars, slaves and prostitutes. You think too much, grown ups!"

"This kind of thieves kill one batch after another, it's meaningless." She leaned on the chair, showing a tired expression,

"I used to want to be a ranger who punishes evil and promotes good, but now...hehe, let's dawdle."

Dreyer got angry when he saw her like this, and said: "If you really want to do something, you should show determination. I once knew a grown-up who wanted to save the world, and he He could have been a big landowner with a good life, or a small nobleman with a prosperous life, but he insisted on doing something. This man rebelled with a group of slaves, angered the baron and was exiled; later he rebelled against the earl, almost Put your life into it..." Dreyer sighed and said, "If you want to be a saint who saves the suffering, you should be as hard-hearted as them, set a goal, and then fight with your life; otherwise I will I still advise you to find a man to marry, or..." He looked Magnolia up and down, "Hurry up and go home, your master must be looking for you everywhere."

Magnolia shook her head and said, "Check out."

In the end, Dreyer did not persuade the woman. He asked someone to settle the bill and went home to sleep.Before going to sleep, he thought to himself: Maybe this woman can't be counted on, I'd better rely on myself.

After Yesko died, Dreyer sent others to find mercenary work.The arena still needs to be opened, firstly, it can help him increase his income, and secondly, it can provide him with military power.

If he wants to get rid of the Necromancer Association, he needs more people.The Necromancer Association has hundreds of mercenaries, hundreds of living dead, and many necromancers with strange magic.It is not an easy task to wipe them all out.Dreyer intends to implement the beheading plan, but he has no idea how to implement it.

He fell asleep with mixed feelings, and the next morning, his servant said to him: "My lord, the captain of the guard has come to see you."

Dreyer hurriedly dressed and went out to meet him.

Magnolia was waiting for him downstairs with two attendants.The captain of the guard sat upright, with a sword at his waist.Dreyer greeted him with a smile and said, "What's the matter? My lord, are you in a good mood today?"

Magnolia said to him: "After I went back yesterday, I carefully considered your suggestion, Lord Mayor—" When hearing this address, Dreyer thought to himself: This is done.

"—I am willing to provide you with basic security support of 50 people, but I do not participate in gang struggles, only maintain law and order. And after that, you will be responsible for paying the salaries of my people."

"Who paid the salary in the past?" Delair asked.

"The nobles in Liquor City, but they are always in arrears." Magnolia sighed, "I really don't want to meddle in other people's business, Lord Mayor, I will resign after a while, and when the time comes, you will have the power and you will Let's arrange things."

Delaire nodded and said, "That's your freedom, thank you anyway."

"Also, I want to know who that person you mentioned earlier." She said suddenly.

"Which one?"

"That man of faith," she said, "I want to meet him."

"That man is now the Earl of Bear Mountain, and you can meet him when you go to Bear Mountain. When you meet him, just say that you are a friend of Delaire Hanslock, and he will definitely..." Delaire pondered for a while, "You are welcome."

"What is your relationship?"

"I was his steward." But I betrayed him.

"Bear Mountain, Bear Mountain..." Magnolia showed a thoughtful expression, "Are you sure it's Bear Mountain?"

"Yes." Dreyer said.

Magnolia said: "But I heard that Xiongshan City has been broken, and the nobles inside are all dead."

"What did you say?" Dreyer's heart suddenly tightened. "Please repeat it again—what did you say? What happened to the nobles in Bear Mountain? I didn't catch that word!"

Clique Dreyer, II

Clique Dreyer, II

"I said that Bear Mountain was captured, and the nobles inside may all..." Magnolia looked at him and asked, "You..."

Delaire suppressed his emotions, nodded to her indifferently, and said, "Oh, it's okay, I just asked. After all, I lived there for a while, and I have some feelings."

Magnolia said to him: "This year is full of turmoil, and this kind of thing is inevitable, let's be sad and change."

"Is the news accurate?"

The chief of the guard shook his head and said, "It's just a rumor."

"oh, I see."

Dreyer was a little relieved.

Haven Ambleside is not a fool, and the people around him are even smarter.Such a person will not die easily.

"Well, if that's the case, don't go to Bear Mountain yet," Delaire said to her, "I'll come back and ask the businessman to find out what's going on."

Magnolia nodded and said, "The Gulf is at war, and I don't plan to go now."

"Okay, that's all for the future. Anyway, thank you for your understanding, Chief of Guard," Dreyer shook her hand and sent her all the way down the street.

After returning, Dreyer slumped on the chair, staring at the empty table, feeling relieved.

Why do I care about his life?Dreyer said in his heart, I am not his housekeeper anymore, it doesn't matter between us!He is dead, it has nothing to do with me.I can't protect myself now, how can I care about others?

Ok……

But he couldn't really die like this, could he?

It's outrageous...

Thinking of this, Dreyer sat in front of the chair for another hour, drinking some wine in the middle.At noon, he cheered up and thought: I have to make a long-term plan.There is a war in the Gulf, and it is inevitable that the war will spread to the Hessen Valley.First of all, I want to control Rotten Meat Shoal and develop it into my business empire.Then...

He thought about this question and found that he had three paths to take:

First, turn Rotten Meat Beach into a neutral free trade port.Rotten Meat Beach has a good inland port, and ships can be transported to the bay or to the south from Rotten Meat Beach.If there is a military turmoil here in the future, then Dreyer will give up resistance, and anyone's ship can come in and out of my place, and I will charge a little money or simply free of charge.

Second, support your own self-respect.Collect money through the port of Rotten Flesh Beach, arm yourself with a large number of mercenaries, so that the princes of all walks of life will not dare to attack him, and protect yourself until the end of the war.

Third, stand in line.He wants to bet among the major forces and swear allegiance to the winner he believes.This approach has the greatest risk, but also the greatest reward.

DeLaier just plays big, so he tends to the third option.But now he doesn't know anything about the situation of the war, so he dare not bet casually.

There is no rush for this matter, he has to do the matter at hand well first.After dinner, he inspected the winery in the afternoon.That day, people from the Necromancer Association smashed a lot of his wine-making tools. The still, sink, and boiler were all damaged. Three workers were injured and asked for leave, and several workers were frightened and wanted to resign together.

His two workshops used to be able to produce together, but now only half of the workshop is left.I don't know when it will be delayed until it is fully produced.

However, these losses can only be borne by himself.Aridan didn't pay a penny, but just said: "I made a mistake, and it's all because of that traitor."

The bastard did it on purpose, Dreyer thought. He smashed my factory and sold the liquor himself, monopolized it, and made a lot of money by himself.This kind of person cannot continue to cooperate. I must get rid of him—and the sooner the better, because if I don't do it, he will do it.

I have lost use value for Aridan. He used to need me to make wine for him, but now he has his own recipe.He'll probably get rid of me after he's been able to produce the spirit for a long time himself.

The first strike is stronger, and the later strike suffers!

While he was thinking about this, Sariva came in from the outside and said, "Oh! Brother, I found you. Just now a big girl came and said that she wanted to apply for the host of the arena. Go and see Go!" he said.

Dreyer froze for a moment and asked, "Big girl?"

"Ah! This person looks evil, I left her in the private room of our casino, you have to go yourself."

Dreyer asked suspiciously: "What do you say? What's different about this person?"

"It's just..." Sariva looked troubled, "You have to see for yourself! Anyway, she is a powerful big girl, not the same as the girls you usually see."

Delaire also became interested and said, "Okay, let's go and have a look."

So the two went out together and went straight to the Yeshen Blessing Casino.Before he entered the casino, he heard a woman's laughter coming from inside. Sariwa froze for a moment and said, "It's her!"

"Didn't you say she was waiting upstairs?"

Sariwa smiled bitterly and said, "Who knows? This girl may be lonely."

So they walked into the casino, and as soon as they entered, Dreyer saw a woman with disheveled hair standing on the table.This "big girl" has messy red curly hair and bare feet.She was dressed more sexy than a prostitute, and her posture was more exaggerated than an actor. She held her head up and was shaking a box of dice in her hand.

"What number? What number?" She said excitedly to a group of gamblers below. She lifted her red skirt, twirled on the table twice on tiptoe, and danced like a red dragonfly.

The big girl is light enough, Dreyer frowned, and the table didn't even shake.

The gamblers shouted excitedly, and people generally shouted numbers while pushing coins onto the table.The red-haired woman continued to dance in the square inch, her movements were flexible, as if floating in mid-air.Dreyer saw an eerie red mist around her, but the gamblers were so mad about her that no one noticed.Dreyer found it interesting, so he didn't go up to bother, he found a quiet corner to observe secretly.

"Who? Who? Who is it?" The woman picked up a bottle of red wine and shouted loudly, "Who can be my first lucky one?" The people below shouted, at this time the woman opened the box, dice " Clang clang" fell into the bowl, and then a young lad yelled, "Me! It's me! I hit it!"

The woman lifted her skirt and walked towards him, saying, "Is that you?"

It was a young boy, "It's me! I..." The woman looked at him, and the boy's face turned red.Dreyer snickered next to him: It turned out to be a baby!

The red-haired woman also let out a wild laugh. She lifted up her long skirt and lifted the boy's chin with her toes. The boy was completely stunned, not daring to move or speak.Then the woman poured the wine on her knees, and the liquid ran down her smooth legs, and she ordered:

"Drink it."

This matter is also strange, that young man is also a guest, there is no need to obey her orders at all.But the woman's voice seemed to have magical powers, and it captured him firmly.He started sucking the red wine from the woman's toes like a slave, and the people around him burst into laughter, and the woman also sneered.

Saliva poked Dreyer with his elbow and said, "Brother, let me just say it? This bitch is wicked!"

"It's evil," Dreyer stared at the red-haired woman, "I can't understand this person at all."

It was true, Dreyer had a knack for recognizing people, but he couldn't quite understand this woman.He couldn't tell where this person came from, where she was going, or what she was going to do, or see her true character.In short, it is evil, it looks like a monster.

Dreyer thought of a certain blue-eyed boy—yes, that's the feeling, evil!

At this time, the woman withdrew her foot and said to the boy, "Well done. Now, come and get your reward."

"I..." Although the man didn't drink much, he was already drunk.

The red-haired woman took out a gold coin, held it between her lips, then bent down, and handed it to the man's mouth.The guy's eyes turned red immediately, and he kissed the woman's fiery lips.The woman catered to him and kissed him, and the gold coin fell to the ground with a clear sound.There was a booing.

After about ten seconds, the woman pushed him away and slapped him twice. "You vile dog!" she yelled, "do I give you permission to kiss me? Get on your knees!"

Her voice was high-pitched and sharp, and it exploded in the room like thunder.In an instant, the entire casino fell silent, and the young man was suffocated with fright.He fell to his knees with a plop and cried, "My Queen!"

"I like that name," she said with a smile. "I have another slave." She picked up the dice and called out to the gamblers, "Who's next? Who's the next lucky one?" People became more fanatical.Money, beauty, conquering and being conquered... Wonderful desires catch these people and drive them crazy.

Delaire thought to himself: Let this big girl take care of the arena!But can I keep her down?

Anyway, let's say hello first.

Dreyer straightened his collar and stepped forward. "Miss!" he said loudly, "you did the work for my croupier, thank you! Now I should pay you some wages."