friend

It was midsummer. The scorching sun made people feel dizzy and hot. The sound of mercenaries whispering to each other could be heard from time to time. This was a common occurrence in the Old Woods Caravan.

Escorting a caravan is not an easy job. The larger the team, the more likely it is to attract robbers. But for experienced mercenaries, this is a good job.

The Old Woods Caravan employs a diverse group of people, making it easier for people who are not from the mercenary corps to join.

The man who was talking approached the free mercenary next to him and started to chat casually: "I bet, those brothers are not simple."

The other party looked in the direction he said, and saw two well-trained mercenaries walking on the left side of the carriage. The blond young man was smiling and saying something, attracting the attention of everyone around him.

Some people are born to stand in the sun. Both old mercenaries have come into contact with such characters. They are born to be the leaders of the team and can bring confidence to everyone in desperate situations. It is naturally a good thing to meet such people. If something unexpected happens, they can regroup at the fastest speed.

But the most attractive thing is the red-haired young man next to him.

He had a face that women liked the most, and he always seemed to have a careless smile on his face. His rare dark golden eyes were eye-catching. As soon as the two of them looked over, they saw each other giving them an unusually sharp look.

"He definitely killed a lot of people."

"I'm afraid what we saw was just him in disguise. Judging from his murderous aura, he must be a wanted man."

"And he looked injured."

"Once you reach your destination, report to the sheriff and claim your reward."

"good...."

The two people who accidentally spoke the truth looked at each other, coughed awkwardly, and changed the topic again, talking about other things.

The person who was talking about this had his mouth twitching. Hey, I'm still listening here, you guys are being too brazen.

Christine grinned and nudged him with her elbow: "That's amazing."

"Stop saying weird things."

"Ah, you noticed it too."

Christine still had a smile on his face, and his eyes glanced at the corners covertly.

These people were strong, but still not as strong as them. Therefore, no one noticed that the surroundings had changed at some point. A hazy mist rose from the grass and trees, followed by a rustling sound that made one's scalp numb.

“Insects, insect disaster! Beware!”

The person in charge of alerting shouted a warning, and the caravan suddenly became noisy.

"Hurry, hurry, grab your weapons, the bugs are coming!"

"Why the hell is there an infestation in this place?"

Amid the panicked voices of the people, the newcomers gradually took shape. They were countless nightmare-like insects, with centipede-like legs and scorpion claws, tentacles on their heads, and fly-like compound eyes.

The sharp mouthparts rubbed against each other, making a rustling sound like leaves blowing in the wind. The countless rustling sounds gathered together, as if the maple leaves were falling in late autumn.

The piles of fallen leaves are a beautiful sight in autumn, but if there were endless insects, it would be a nightmare. These insects were ferocious and rushed straight towards humans. They were so scary that they seemed to be creatures that did not belong to this world. Only Aurelius recognized them at a glance.

Isn't this just a shrunken scavenger?

As expected, the [Queen of Insects] also came to this world, and arrived before him, causing an insect disaster.

The first group of guards had already started fighting the bugs. These little bugs were far less powerful than the scavengers of the Insect City, and even ordinary mercenaries could easily kill them. After the real battle began, the mercenaries became relaxed.

"An insect plague is no more than that."

"It seems that people in the South are too timid,"

"Brothers, come on! Once we get rid of this wave of insect plague, we'll have the money to brag about it!"

The caravan's morale was high, and everyone rushed to the sea of ​​insects. A fierce fight began between the two sides. Gradually, someone noticed something was wrong.

"Strange, after killing for so long, why are there still so many bugs...?"

Each mercenary killed at least a thousand bugs, but bugs still kept coming. The mercenaries went from being so powerful at the beginning to being defeated step by step in just a few minutes.

As the first man was exhausted and nearly dragged into the insect tide, the mercenaries began to make mistakes. More and more people began to get tired and had to retreat to the vicinity of the carriage to form a defense line.

"We can't retreat any further! There's a carriage behind us. If these bugs eat the horses, we'll be finished!"

After all, the caravan guards are there to protect the caravan's property. If the horse dies here, do they have to pull the caravan themselves?

Thinking of this, the others gritted their teeth and held the last line of defense.

Until then, the red-haired young man who had been staying behind finally took action. The wound on his right hand had not healed yet, so Oreius switched the sword to his left hand and faced the insect disaster together with Christine.

The long sword was unsheathed, sweeping out a sharp sword light, directly strangling a large number of insects.

At the same time, he uttered a soft "eh".

A tiny force came from the fallen insect and flowed into his body along the sword tip. This tiny force was insignificant, but it calmed the boiling blood slightly.

Aurelius's spirits were lifted, and his attacks became more brutal, which made him look out of place on the battlefield where everyone was exhausted. Christine followed behind him, worrying about the young man's injuries while easily dealing with the enemy.

Unlike the red-haired young man's bold and sweeping movements, his moves were extremely light, giving him a sense of elegance, like a leisurely stroll in the garden. Under the cover of his clothes, the mark of the watch on his right arm was slightly hot, and the enemy who was killed also fell down.

With the cooperation of the two, the number of insects was getting smaller and smaller. Aurelius killed the last insect and wiped the blood from his cheek with the back of his hand. The mercenaries sat on the ground panting, their hands trembling slightly from exhaustion.

"It's so tiring. I don't want to fight these monsters anymore in my life."

"Those two are the real monsters, aren't they tired?"

Looking ahead with awe, the two men killed the most monsters and looked very refreshed. It was as if they had not just experienced a bloody battle, but just experienced a friendly exchange.

Christine said, "Your swordsmanship is too crude, relying entirely on brute force. Follow me for the next few days and I will teach you."

Oreius did not refuse: "Then I'll leave it to you."

The two men discussed the origins of these monsters without paying attention. The mercenaries wanted to hear the secrets, but they didn't get any tips.

Finally, the red-haired young man looked over and took the initiative to explain: "These insects are not numerous. They are repeating themselves."

"Repeat?"

"Fate has countless forks. When you swing your weapon, your target may be killed or just avoid it. But these insects are different. Even if you hit them, the wounds on their bodies will return to the time before they were hit."

"Isn't that immortal?!"

Everyone's faces turned pale when they heard this. What is more terrifying than a powerful enemy is an opponent that is impossible to defeat. Anyone would be timid when facing such things.

At this moment, someone suddenly realized what was going on and asked, "Then why were you able to defeat them?"

The rest of the people looked at Oreius, with doubts on their faces. The red-haired young man glanced at him calmly, and a cold murderous aura surged around him. Under his gaze, the people looking at him could not help but look away.

Where did he hire this guy from? How could he be so blind? Could he question such a strong man?

The caravan consul wiped his sweat, got off the carriage and took the initiative to greet them with a brilliant smile on his face. He was about to say something to ease the atmosphere when he heard the red-haired young man say coldly: "You are too weak."

The atmosphere suddenly became extremely stagnant and people were speechless.

The consul quickly interrupted the next words and said, "Thank you for your help this time. I am the leader of the Old Woods Caravan. Can you tell me your identities? The Old Woods Caravan will definitely reward you."

"...Oh, I knew something was going to go wrong."

Christine muttered quietly, then turned to the leader and smiled brightly: "Sorry, I used a pseudonym before. Now let's get to know each other again. I'm Christine, a knight."

"Blonde hair, blue eyes, a knight, Christine..."

The team leader thought for a while and suddenly exclaimed.

"Could it be that you are the God-favored Knight Christin! The hero favored by five gods!"

The leader turned his gaze to the red-haired young man and said, "The person next to you must also be a famous person. Forgive my poor vision and my failure to recognize your identity. Who are you?"

Although the God-favored Knight Christine has many friends, he always keeps to himself. Wherever he goes, he makes new friends, just like the protagonist from a knight novel, constantly writing wonderful stories.

Then, the person who appears next to the hero is also a hero. Facing the expectant gazes of the people, Christine said "uh" and found that the red-haired young man was also looking at him.

All right, all right. It has come to this point. Admitting or not seems to be just a matter of words. Christine sighed quietly in his heart.

"This is a member of the Roland Ag family and my disciple."

At this moment, the wanted criminal's face was covered with a halo by the God-favored Knight.

"I see. No wonder he is so powerful. He is an excellent knight just like you."

Hey, you just said I was a wanted criminal. Isn't that a bit hypocritical?

The title of God's Favored Knight really worked. After Christine revealed his identity, the two of them became distinguished guests of the Chamber of Commerce and got into the carriage.

After half a year in this world, Oleus still doesn't like carriages. But he has gradually gotten used to riding in carriages. No matter how bumpy the carriage is, it can't be more painful than this wide-open vest.

After going through more painful things, the little things can be forgiven.

The caravan leader attentively poured tea for the two of them. Even though the journey was long, snacks and crushed ice were prepared in the carriage. They were stored with magic to ensure that the owner could taste the freshest delicacies.

As the aroma of black tea filled the air, the team leader relaxed a little and began to talk about the crisis that had just occurred.

"Thanks to you two, we were able to break through the siege intact. The south has been plagued by insect disasters, so the caravan's goods are selling better. We originally wanted to make a fortune, but we didn't expect to encounter this."

"What else do you know about insect infestations?"

"You've asked the right person. We at the Old Tree Forest Chamber of Commerce sell everything, including intelligence."

Speaking of professional fields, the team leader smiled.

"You two have just helped us a lot. I will be the host this time. Any information you want to know can be given to you for free."

Having said this, he took a sip of black tea and sorted out the information he knew.

"The first insect disaster occurred a year ago in a small town in the west. Although it seemed like there was no sign, someone from the nearby town saw a woman being rescued from the village before that."

Oreius narrowed his eyes: "Woman?"

"Yes, she was a woman of unimaginable beauty. It is said that everyone who saw her could not help themselves, and several men in the town fought for her. Even the informant said that it was largely out of jealousy. The woman had incredible magic, and after knowing her, the townspeople who were originally simple and honest went crazy one after another. The insect plague occurred not long after the woman entered the town."

There is no doubt that this person is the Queen of Insects.

Even in another world, his evil tastes have not changed. The suffering and humiliation of mankind will become his nourishment. I am afraid that during this period of time, the Queen of Insects has recovered a lot of strength.

Speaking of this woman, the team leader shook his head.

"According to them, I'm afraid that few people in the world can resist the temptation of that woman. After the insect disaster broke out, that woman disappeared. This time, thanks to you for pointing out the key. Now that we know that their ability is duplication, we only need to seek help from the astrologers. They are both observers of fate and loyal believers of the goddess. They will definitely guide us out of the predicament."

But Aurelius thought things were not that simple.

This world is just a complete fragment. The Queen of Insects and her intrusion have brought changes to this world. The goddess of fate had previously failed to find the cause of the insect disaster, which means that the gods' control of the fate of this place was wrong. The most likely reason was because of the pocket watch.

I'm afraid it fell into the hands of the Queen after traveling with the two of them, helping him to avoid the pursuit of the gods. With the artifact of destiny in hand, it is really not an easy task for the goddess of destiny to find him. It is even more impossible for those astrologers.

Perhaps the only ones who can solve this problem are him and the one favored by the goddess of fate. They can gradually find each other's breath by coming into contact with the insect plague until they locate the queen.

“There is still a long way to go…”

He whispered. First we need to get rid of the queen, get the artifact, and send them back to the right future.

The second is to resolve the troubles brought by the Queen and not to have any negative impact on the past.

The third is to learn swordsmanship from Christine and find opportunities to supplement his background.

The leader wiped his sweat with his hand and said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Oreius, what did you just say?"

After figuring out what he had to do, the red-haired young man's eyes became exceptionally bright.

Aurelius waved his hand and naturally skipped the topic: "No, nothing."

"That's good. If you need us to do anything, we can arrange it anytime." The leader said hurriedly, trying to establish a good relationship with him. "The Old Forest Caravan is happy to be your friend."

"You've done a great job and helped us a lot." Christine spoke up at the right time to smooth things over for Aurelius. "Do you know what's going on in the south now?"

Even the troops heading to the south were attacked, so what is the situation in the south now? This is a heavy thought.

Speaking of this, the team leader put away the smile on his face.

"The situation is not optimistic. It has become a real battlefield. Countless insects appear and disappear at random. Fortunately, various countries took timely actions and the situation is relatively stable. I don't know why we were suddenly attacked."

"Anyway, there's no point in talking about these things now. Just wait until we get to the city. Our destination this time is New Leaf City, where the cathedral of the astrologers is located. We can ask them for help then."

At this point, the team leader handed each of them a heavy bag and said, "I have something to ask of you. This is a small token of my appreciation. Please accept it." Let's not cause panic."

The two looked at each other, and then heard each other say: "The defense force of the small town we are passing through is not strong, so there is no need to alarm the garrison. The next matter will be fully responsible by the Old Tree Forest Chamber of Commerce. Please give us some face."

Christine frowned and said, "If we don't tell these towns about the insect disaster, what will they do if they encounter danger in the future?"

"How could such a coincidence happen? If it really happened, our Chamber of Commerce would handle it together and would not involve you two."

"That's not what I meant..."

The consul spoke tactfully, showing his tact as a businessman: "I know that you are a noble person, Mr. God's Knight, but you also have to consider the actual situation of our Chamber of Commerce. We have to pass through so many towns along the way. If we talk to each one, the journey will cost more than three times as much."

"You two must have joined this escort mission in order to save time. Less trouble is worse than more. I'm not afraid that the goods on hand will be late. If it really delays what you two are supposed to do, that would be the most painful thing."

The red-haired young man stared at him indifferently until a little cold sweat broke out on his forehead. Then he looked away and said, "Just do as you say."

The leader immediately smiled and stuffed a small bag into his hand. "No problem. Our caravan brought a lot of good weapons on this trip. If you don't have a suitable one, you can go to the warehouse and pick one. I'll just give it to you as a gift."

Aurelius didn't bother to be polite. After receiving the money, he took the initiative to ask to go to the truck. The leader personally asked someone to take them to pick up the Wu weapons. When they returned to the truck, the confidant had returned from outside and said respectfully:

"Captain, we have already made arrangements down there. They won't talk nonsense, but those two guys..."

The team leader put away his smiling face and answered seriously: "I will be in charge of the two of them. You just need to make sure we can reach Xinye City on time. Xinye City is in a critical situation after the insect disaster. It is a good time to speculate on the price. We must deliver this batch of goods no matter what. You can also find two good people to keep an eye on them privately, and report to me immediately if there is any movement."

"clear!"

The Old Woods Caravan was indeed one of the three largest caravans in the town, and this time they brought quite a comprehensive range of goods. Oleus got on the carriage and took a look around, picking out the most expensive sword. The men leading the way felt very distressed, and watched helplessly as the other party took away this precious sword made by a famous master.

Christine rarely looked on calmly, and after leaving, his face was still as stern as iron: "You are not really going to agree to him, are you?"

"What else can we do if we don't agree? He will definitely not just shut us up. By then, only the two of us will admit it, and everyone else will claim that it didn't happen. Let's see whether the defense forces will believe us or the caravan."

"But they are so bold that they dare to conceal such a thing. If an insect disaster occurs, everyone nearby will suffer. They are gambling with human lives and insects!"

“So we still have to say it, but in a different way.”

"Another way?"

"Yeah." The red-haired young man raised his lips. "If the open way doesn't work, then try the covert way. There are many ways to solve this problem."

“…”

Faced with the threat of insect plague, the caravan quickened its pace and reached the next safe base before dark. It was a small town on the border of the kingdom, where two countries had stationed their troops.

Since the caravan secretly told everyone not to tell anyone about the insect disaster, the team passed the test smoothly. However, due to the attack, the members of the Chamber of Commerce had some concerns and only planned to rest here for one night, replenish their supplies and then set off immediately.

The spies arranged by the leader kept a close eye on Christine and the other two, but they were surprisingly honest. Apart from going out to buy some dry food and medicine, they did not make any suspicious moves. In the second half of the night, the people who were watching them became a little lazy and started chatting with each other.

"What is a knight favored by God? To put it bluntly, they will do anything for money. Aside from a nice reputation and being a little stronger, they are the same as us."

"If I could get so much favor from the gods, not to mention being a knight favored by the gods, even the Pope would have to kneel before him!"

"Hahaha, don't forget to make me a cardinal when the time comes. We brothers have to eat meat and drink soup at the same time."

"Okay, okay. Don't forget me when you become successful. We should never forget each other."

The two were chatting animatedly and didn't notice a shadow passing by the wall.

The red-haired young man was wearing a black nightgown, wrapped up tightly. He tiptoed to avoid surveillance, his figure like a ghost floating in the night, light and weightless.

He stepped onto the rooftop very easily. If Bai was here, he would be surprised to find that the red-haired young man's movements were exactly the same as those of the profiteer. He stepped perfectly into every blind spot. Even if he flashed behind him, the other party would only feel that there was a breeze blowing. When he turned around in confusion, there was nothing behind him.

In a place where no one can see, the skills of various vests are recklessly integrated together, providing a very high convenience. Compared with the Black Mist Age, the God's Favor Age is really simple and honest, which makes Oleus even miss Shaken who wanted to knock him out when he first met him.

When it comes to assassination and surveillance, it takes at least that level to be considered professional.

The thought flashed through his mind, and the dark figure stopped on the roof of the most conspicuous building in the town.

The corps captain, who was tired after a day of work, was humming a little tune and carrying a bag of snacks, planning to go back and spend some time with his wife. Suddenly, he saw a dark figure squatting on the roof of his house.

He shuddered and immediately became alert. His right hand instinctively reached for the hilt of the sword at his waist, but when he looked carefully, the shadow had disappeared.

Strange, is it an illusion?

The captain was still a little uneasy in his heart, and ran back quickly, worrying about the safety of his family.

When his wife saw him coming back, she came up to him with a smile and took the snacks: "You are finally back. Your friends are coming to visit us. Why didn't you tell me in advance?"

"friend?"

Hearing this word, the captain's heart skipped a beat and his expression became extremely serious.

How could he have any friends who would suddenly come to his house at this late hour?