The kingdom's city of Rusbela is where two rivers meet. It is the most important transportation hub in the western part of the kingdom, and many land and water transport goods also converge here.
When entering the kingdom during the war, Rusbela, which was closest to the front line and had convenient transportation, naturally became more important. All the reinforcements and war supplies from all over the kingdom gathered here.
At the same time, more and more people were rushing here, including refugees from the fallen cities ahead and some powerful people from cities that had not yet fallen.
Old Pisili and his group of a dozen refugees first arrived at the city of Micro, but the strong smell of gunpowder there made people feel extremely unsafe, so later they simply used the high-value coins given by Riva to take a boat and come directly here.
Everyone knows that Rusbela is an important city in the kingdom and has never been lost in history. His Majesty the King will never allow Rusbela to be lost, so it is relatively safe here.
To be honest, not many refugees can actually escape from the fallen cities, but when they are gathered together, the number is still not small. Now there are nearly 20,000 refugees heading east to Rusbela. If they cannot find a job in Rusbela, the rootless refugees will not be able to survive in the city for a long time and can only live in the refugee resettlement areas on the edge of the city.
Old Pisili and others were considered lucky. With his excellent cooking skills, Pisili easily took on the job of chef at the dock tavern, freeing the tavern owner from the hardships in the kitchen and bringing good news to the diners of the tavern.
Several women and their children worked as waiters in the kitchen and front hall of the tavern for very low wages.
A few young men were working at the very busy dock, loading and unloading goods in exchange for wages, and a group of people were staying in the tavern.
This was very lucky for the refugees, and even more cost-effective for the kind-hearted tavern owner. He used not too much wages to get a group of hardworking laborers, and his customer base increased because of the significant improvement in food taste.
The Organ Tavern next to the Rusbela Cargo Terminal is ushering in the most lively time of the day in the evening.
Dock workers, nearby residents, city hooligans, some people working at night, passing businessmen...all kinds of people began to enter the tavern to enjoy the wine and food at the moment.
"Ding-ling-ling..."
"Two glasses of barrel-bubbled wine, one serving of old Pisili's specialty meat soup, and two servings of fried meat!"
Two burly men pushed open the door of the pub and came in, shouting at the bar at the top of their lungs.
The tavern owner took a small piece of paper, scribbled a few times, and put it on the kitchen counter. Then he pulled the internal bell, and a woman from the kitchen came over swiftly and took the bill away.
"Uncle Buck, you sit here!!"
A child in an ill-fitting apron was wiping a wooden table at the edge of the tavern with a rag and calling two big men who had just come in over.
“Hahahaha… Not bad, boy. You’re helping me keep this spot again!”
The two big men looked very ferocious and scary, and they lived a life on the edge of a knife. They were mercenaries hired by the kingdom for money to participate in the war, but they were actually not bad people.
A sturdy woman came over from the bar carrying a plate, and the bubbly wine glass on the plate was shaken but no juice came out.
“Hahaha, Mei Fuya, you have a heavy load ahead of you, do you want me to help you?!”
When the drinkers and diners around saw the woman coming out from the kitchen, they all started to flirt with her.
“I can too, hahahaha!!”
"Get lost! You little bastards, I can knock you down with just one arm, and you still dare to joke like this? Be careful or I'll get serious!"
“Hahahaha, forget it!”
"I lost my temper, hahaha!"
There are constant dirty jokes and teasing in the pub, but in reality, they are just for satisfying your sexual cravings and it will take some time for you to get used to it.
After the bubble wine was put down, the vicious man named Buck picked up the glass and drank it.
“Gululu…Ha!!”
"The bubble wine here is still delicious. In that damn place in the west, I suspect that a glass of wine is mixed with half a glass of water, or dishwater!"
My companion had just put down his wine glass, and had drunk a full quarter of the large wooden barrel cup.
"Buck, have you been outside the defense line?"
"Yes, Buck, I haven't seen you for a while. I heard that many soldiers and mercenaries have gone to the front line, especially you mercenaries. I heard that you have a lot of reconnaissance missions outside the defense line!"
There are all kinds of people in the bar, and many of them are well-informed.
Buck waved his hand, indicating that he would drink first. He picked up the glass again, and stopped when only half of the wine was left in the glass. He wiped the foam on his beard with his sleeve.
"That's right. We mercenaries are responsible for all dangerous missions. The regular army of the kingdom is all hiding in the fortresses and behind the city walls. Their lives are more precious than ours!!"
Buck's companion took off the dagger from his waist and laid it on the table.
"Haha, we are mercenaries after all. After all, we have been paid, so we can't act like grandsons like the Kingdom Army!"
"What's the situation outside? Are the wild beastmen showing any signs of retreating? It's winter already!!"
A man who looked like a traveling merchant turned around from the bar and asked with concern, not forgetting to turn around and say something to the tavern owner.
"Give them a full glass of bubbly and put it on my account."
Buck raised his glass to him and looked around. The noise in the pub had become much quieter. It was obvious that everyone was more concerned about the news.
"The situation outside is terrible. As far as I know, there are about 30 teams of mercenaries belonging to the Micro front, totaling 300 people, going out for reconnaissance. In addition, there are also 5 teams of Kingdom Army scouts."
At this point, Buck took a sip of wine to calm himself.
"But there will only be 7 teams returning to Micro in 5 days, including our team. Only 7!!!"
"hiss!!!"
"Ah... so dangerous!!!"
“Oh my god!!!”
There was a sound of gasps in the pub.
Buck's companion banged the table.
"So after I got back, I immediately applied for a rest. We mercenaries are only good at this. We get paid according to the mission and are relatively free after we finish it. But the imperial soldiers can't leave their positions at will!"
"That's right. I heard that a group of veteran scouts of the Kingdom Army directly encountered dozens of wild orc scouts. Those veterans were also tough guys. They knew that running away was not an option, so more than a dozen of them stayed behind to cover the retreat and let the two scouts escape. They were really manly!"
Buck felt somewhat emotional when he said this, and the people around him also sighed.
"Uncle Buck, aren't you in any danger?"
The little boy had already laid down beside the table with Buck and his companions again without knowing it.
"We were lucky. We spotted a large number of wild beastmen getting water near a river valley. We also saw smoke from cooking in the distance. We quickly escaped without staying for long. We didn't encounter any major dangers."
At this point, Buck seemed to suddenly think of something, looked at the busy and sturdy woman over there, and then at the little boy at the table.
"Little Tumi, I heard that you also fled here from the occupied city. Have you heard about the story of a black ranger? That story is widely spread among the refugees on the border. It is said that he is almost fighting alone. Is this true?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I've heard of that too. I came here from the south as a trader and met many people fleeing there. I heard that the Black Ranger can defeat more than a dozen wild orcs by himself. He's very powerful!!"
“So amazing?”
"Yes, I have heard of this as well. It is said that there is a magical female creature with very long hair and very beautiful beside the Black Ranger. I wonder which legendary longevity creature she is."
This legendary story quickly became a hot topic in the pub, and the little boy almost immediately understood who they were talking about.
"I have seen them!!! Uncle Buck, I have seen Uncle Riva, yes, I have seen Uncle Black Ranger!!!"
Tumi shouted and jumped excitedly, attracting the attention of many people in the tavern.
"Little Tumi, have you really seen it?"
"Yes, me, Grandpa Pisili, Mom and Dad, and the friends who fled with us, we have all seen it. It was Uncle Riva who saved us!!"
“Yeah, that’s right!!”
The sturdy woman came over again with a plate, this time with steaming hot dishes on it, and on the way she did not forget to prove the correctness of what Tumi said.
"Look, look!! Uncle Riva is the most powerful. And a dozen orcs are nothing. When Uncle Riva saved us, he fought one against four and defeated four giant monsters!! Four giant monsters!!! They were this big!!!"
Tumi opened his hands and gestured, making an exaggerated movement.
"The head of the slain giant leader was so scary that my father and three uncles could hardly lift it up!!"
The noise in the pub suddenly became much weaker, as if the mute button was pressed.
"Uh... is what Toomey said true?"
Buck looked at the sturdy woman with some disbelief. The latter took a few deep breaths, as if recalling some horrible memories, but still nodded.
"Yes, we were all there at the time. Lord Riva asked us to escape, and he faced four trolls alone. He killed and injured two of them, and finally killed the troll leader. The remaining trolls were scared away."
After a brief silence, the tavern began to become lively again. There were discussions about the battle ahead, other accidents, and the matter of the Black Ranger, but most people were skeptical about what Toomi said.
However, Buck and his companions were far more shocked than those who were listening to the excitement in the tavern.
They had heard a rumor during their previous mission that one of the Kingdom Army and mercenary scouts had discovered the corpse of a giant monster while investigating in the mountains. Even though it was lying in a pool of solidified blood, it was still very horrifying.
Wild birds and beasts had gnawed its body, and the surrounding area was filled with a foul stench.
The scouts made a rough inspection and found that the troll was killed by some sharp weapon that pierced its eyes and head directly.
Almost the same as what little Toomi said.
Riva and Yui were well aware of the growing fame of the Black Ranger, and Yui's excited vanity even made him deliberately want to amplify this effect.
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