Chapter 279: Bingxun Pass — Tidying Up and Ointment Comfort

Jier rested temporarily in a room provided by the Simons Chamber of Commerce.

Though he called it resting, he was actually not sleepy at all; he removed his armor and asked the shop assistants who were still talking in the chamber's lobby for a wooden basin of clean water.

Having heard the major news Jier brought, many people in the chamber were no longer sleepy; they gathered together to discuss everything that had happened after Mr. Xiao Simengsi was kidnapped.

Jier had no interest in their chamber's affairs, so he returned directly to his room.

He began to carefully wipe the removed armor pieces with a damp cloth, and after wiping them clean, he dried them with a dry cloth from the room and placed them on the open floor of the room to air out.

Once the armor was all taken care of, he began to carefully clean his weapons and equipment.

The cleaning he had done in the dark by the river earlier was not thorough, so he lit an oil lamp in the room and cleaned them carefully. Zhao Ji was already very familiar with his Hunting Longsword, so he quickly disassembled and reassembled it, and after cleaning it, he placed it on the floor to air dry.

The rust-prevention maintenance would have to wait until tomorrow during the day.

Zhao Ji took the spoils he had obtained from the Old Bandit—a very formidable Battle Knife—and examined it closely.

He discovered that on the metal scabbard of the Battle Knife, there was a sentence engraved on the surface, though it had been scratched up by a sharp blade in some places. Zhao Ji identified it carefully and found it read: "To my wife, I wish to dance with you."

Zhao Ji pondered it, guessing that this was a weapon the original owner had given to his wife, but after some misfortune, it had fallen into the hands of that Old Bandit Leader.

Considering the knife dance he had witnessed during the previous battle, which did not look like martial arts a man would use, Zhao Ji estimated that the original owner of the Battle Knife was likely a woman who had used that kind of knife dance when being robbed by the bandits.

Zhao Ji did not know what the outcome was, but this Battle Knife had fallen into the hands of that Old Bandit, who then imitated this method of using the Battle Knife. He likely had seen the original owner of the Battle Knife perform it, which was why he could recognize the power of this technique and its low requirement for users with insufficient strength.

After all, for Zhao Ji, who was young and strong, he would certainly not practice the so-called "knife dance" he had just experienced, but would instead use it as a normal Battle Knife.

This weapon was over a meter long, slightly longer than his Long Sword. Compared to the Long Sword, its chopping power was stronger, and the lengthened handle also made it convenient for two-handed use.

Unlike the Japanese swords of his previous life, the blade of this Battle Knife appeared wider, which required greater strength from the user, but the overall strength and toughness of the weapon greatly exceeded similar weapons of the same type from his previous life.

Zhao Ji discovered that the weapons in this world were clearly heavier and larger than those of his previous life. He guessed that while the Humans looked similar, their internal structures were actually different.

At least, in terms of strength, the existence of supernatural power led people to have the ability to use stronger weapons. But that was not enough; the difference was that the Humans of this world had more formidable opponents to contend with compared to the Humans of his previous life.

Therefore, various weapons that exceeded normal requirements appeared as a result.

Just like the weapon Zhao Ji had in front of him now. Compared to similar weapons of his previous life, it was heavier, the blade was longer, and most importantly, the blade of the Battle Knife was wider. This was a weapon forged to contend with more powerful beasts and armored enemies.

Zhao Ji drew the Battle Knife, held it in his hand, and performed a chop into the empty space in front of him; the wide blade swept through the air, emitting a loud sound.

Zhao Ji estimated that if he were to use this weapon against himself, his own armor would likely not be able to withstand a single chop from himself.

Using it with both hands, although he lacked the seasoned, nimble, and continuous technique the Old Bandit had used, Zhao Ji made it more forceful and heavy; if a person in front of him had no defense and blocked it with their bare body, they would likely be split in two.

After simply testing the weapon, Zhao Ji checked the blade of the Battle Knife and found that because it had clashed with his new Shield, the edge of the Battle Knife was slightly worn and needed to be sharpened.

That wouldn't work now; it would have to wait until tomorrow.

Putting the weapon away, Zhao Ji also cleaned his Shield and used a rag from the back of the Shield to stick to the front of the Shield, then found a way to tighten it with a rope so that the Shield would not look too conspicuous.

He did not sleep afterward, but instead cleaned the coins he had scavenged from the bandits with clean water. He had to clean them; after all, they were stained with too much blood, and no normal person would accept blood-stained coins for trade.

Zhao Ji also opened a small wooden box he had scavenged from the room of an ordinary bandit; after prying open the Lock with a Dagger, he found it filled with copper coins and Iron Coins.

Zhao Ji could not count exactly how many coins he had scavenged from the bandits in total, so he put them all in a bag, waiting until he had time to exchange them for higher-denomination Gold and Silver Coins for safekeeping.

He also found some Silver Coins on the Bandit Leader and in his residence; besides feeling that it was stingy for one of the leaders of a proper bandit group not to carry any Gold Coins on him, Zhao Ji also found some keys on the Bandit Leader.

These keys were of different types; two of them were clearly not ordinary keys, but keys that had been crafted with precision.

He guessed that the places where these keys were used were certainly not the bandits' lair, but some other places. He just didn't know where.

After finishing everything, Jier soaked the wolf-fur Cloak, which was covered in blood on the outer side, in the faintly reddish Wooden Basin to wash it; soon, the entire Wooden Basin turned blood-red.

There was no other way, so he had to go out, change into a basin of clean water, and after returning to the room, he continued to rub the Cloak, barely making the entire Cloak usable.

He wrung it out and shook it in the room to shed the moisture. Only when Zhao Ji felt the Cloak was half-dry did he stop.

Putting on the dried armor, Zhao Ji also put on the half-dry Cloak, equipped his weapons, and sat on the edge of the bed in the room, half-closing his eyes to doze off.

The next morning, Jier waited until there was activity outside before straightening himself up; the Cloak on his body was already dry, and he carried the Wooden Basin out to return it to the Simons Chamber of Commerce.

In the chamber's lobby, it was clear that the people from the chamber hadn't slept all night; they were eating breakfast while questioning the shop assistant who had gone out early to inquire about news and had just returned.

"There was a fierce battle at Happy Street last night, and quite a few people died. However, after identification by the Soldiers, it was discovered that the people who died were all bandits, and two of them were even wanted criminals. But they couldn't find the other party," the shop assistant said while sitting in the lower seat drinking hot soup.

Jier walked over and said, "Of course they didn't find them; aren't I here now?" Jier's words made everyone in the chamber tremble simultaneously; only after hearing the news from their own people did they believe that this young man had really defeated so many ferocious bandits all by himself.

Having also begged for a bowl of hot soup, Jier sipped it slowly while asking the shop assistant who had gone out to inquire about news: "Then did you find out what the Soldiers' attitude was toward the person who wiped out the bandits?"

The shop assistant took a sip of soup and said, "No particular attitude, it's just that the Soldier Captain leading the team was scolded by the tax-collecting scribes who were with them, scolding them for not even knowing where the bandits were hiding in the pass, and for letting someone else find them first and take their credit."

Jier snorted coldly; if those useless Soldiers had really dealt with those bandits, they might have made a fool of themselves, as those bandits were very ferocious, difficult to deal with, and desperate.

And were the Soldiers of Bingxun Pass just there for a paycheck? Would they really dare to risk their lives?

Not to mention that there was also a very formidable Old Bandit among the bandits. But if Jier hadn't followed the fresh scent of blood to find where those bandits were hiding, the Soldiers likely wouldn't have known where the bandits' den in Bingxun Pass was until those bandits had left.

Joining Jier in his disdain were the others in the chamber; everyone knew that those Soldiers were fine for maintaining order, but if a real fight broke out, they would likely only have the advantage of numbers.

After Jier clarified the situation, he felt slightly relieved; as long as he wasn't openly blamed by the pass administrators, they likely wouldn't do anything to him. They would certainly hold a grudge and make things difficult for him in secret, but they shouldn't throw him into jail indiscriminately.

Thinking of this, after Jier finished his hot soup, he took his leave of Mr. Xiao Simengsi, thanking him for his protection the previous night, and stated that he had to go back to change his equipment and then go see the injured civilians.

Although Mr. Xiao Simengsi had only slept for half the night, he was in good spirits now, likely because his body and mind were no longer tense after returning home, so he also indicated that he would go see the injured civilians immediately.

Regarding this, Jier reminded Mr. Xiao Simengsi that he could bring some boiled white cloth, and he would bring some Ointment later, which could be used with the clean white cloth to effectively treat the wounds on the civilians.

After taking his leave and departing from the Simons Chamber of Commerce, Jier pulled his Cloak tight, removed his Helmet and put it into the bag he was carrying, and walked quickly toward the inn where he was staying.

The street near the Church of the God of Wealth was prosperous but very quiet; it was prosperous because the Priests of the church had high consumption, leading to very good shops near the church, and it was quiet because the noisy shops had long since been driven away by the church; after all, where the Priests lived and served the gods, it wouldn't be like the Craftsman God Church, built near noisy workshops.

Jier took advantage of the inn clerk yawning to walk past quickly, letting the other party see his face clearly, but not the armored boots he was wearing.

After opening the door and entering the room, Jier finally relaxed.

He removed his armor, used a small bottle of Grease from the armor box to wipe the metal parts of the armor, and also applied Grease to his weapons.

After putting away the armor, Shield, the scavenged coins, and weapons, Jier left with only a Long Sword, carrying the Ointment that Jamula had given him on the handcart.

When he arrived at the inn, the lobby of the inn had already been cleaned, and the protecting Soldiers were sitting casually in the lobby. Besides them, an Apprentice Herdsman from the Church of the God of the Dead was also in the lobby, examining the bodies of the civilians placed to one side.

Jier went up first and handed Jamula's Ointment to the uninjured civilians; as it happened, Mr. Xiao Simengsi was also there, and he had brought the clean white cloth Jier had mentioned.

Jier took some white cloth, dipped it in the Ointment, and changed the bandages on the wounds of the injured civilians.

Jamula's Ointment was very effective; the person who had been groaning in pain a moment ago soon fell into a tired sleep.

Jier knew the ointment contained herbs for numbness and pain relief; once applied, it felt cool and refreshing, and had the fragrance of green grass, making it easy for the people tormented by their injuries to fall asleep.

After demonstrating for everyone, Jier handed the ointment over to them.

Although Jamula's ointment was not cheap, Jier was not someone who begrudged such money; it was just a pity that five people had died on the spot last night.

Seeing everyone begin to change their dressings, Jier called for Mr. Xiao Simengsi and two or three other merchant people, and together they went downstairs to speak with the Apprentice Herdsman of the Church of the God of the Dead about the handling of the deceased people's bodies.

The bodies would certainly have to be burned, but among the deceased people, one had a Faith, so before burning, the body needed to be handed over to the church that person believed in to hold a small ritual for the return of the Spirit.

There were no relatives or friends of that person at the scene, so the expenses for this ritual could only be shared among the few people present.

This fee was not much, three Silver Coins, mainly covering the round-trip travel expenses for inviting a Priest over; if it were a local believer, they could naturally receive home service, but this deceased person was not.

Jier took out one Silver Coin, Mr. Xiao Simengsi also took out one Silver Coin, and the remaining fee was covered by the other few merchant people.

After receiving Jier's tip, the inn's Shop Assistant was very willing to do this kind of work; after all, their inn had already been booked, and since they were idle anyway, he was naturally willing to earn a sum of money for nothing.

The bodies of the other four people were taken away by people called by the Apprentice Herdsman of the Church of the God of the Dead; they did handle the bodies of those without Faith for free, but in this world, without the protection of a god after death, it seemed one would not be reborn into a family that believed in the same god in the next life.

Jier did not quite understand why one must loyally believe in the same religion for generation after generation.

Regarding Jier's confusion, Mr. Xiao Simengsi whispered an explanation to him. It turned out that in the face of various oppressions and dangers in the human world, only by believing in a certain religion and uniting tightly around a certain religion could one naturally live better than those without the protection of a religious church.

After all, every church had organization, knowledge, power, and intelligence. For the same merchant, one with Faith and one without, the one with Faith could safely sell goods to other believers through the church's connections. The other merchant, however, would have to beg others for information on where there was a market for goods, and even then, they would have to rely on their own experience to discern false information and risks.

Of course, Mr. Xiao Simengsi only spoke of this more realistic aspect. The benefits on the spiritual level were also very numerous; for example, the origin of life, the actions of this life, and the destination of the next life were all clearly arranged by the gods and the church for loyal believers.

People who had experienced the hardships of life naturally hoped to believe in gods for generation after generation.

Jier pursed his lips and asked Mr. Xiao Simengsi, "Then if the world were full of paradise everywhere, and everyone could live safely and happily on the earth, would there still be a need to believe in gods?"

Mr. Xiao Simengsi seemed to have heard something funny; he patted Jier on the shoulder: "Young man, if there is such a place, please invite me to go when the time comes; I will definitely bring my whole family, and we will live in that paradise you speak of, for generation, after generation."

They sat with the injured people for the whole morning, during which they learned that all the bodies of the Bandits who died last night were claimed as their own achievements by the various Captains of the Soldiers because no one came forward to claim the credit for killing the Bandits, and this was publicized through the Government Office.

Regarding this shameless result, Jier shrugged; although Bingxun Pass appeared to be the territory of Knight Kela in name, it seemed it was not directly managed by Knight Kela. Thus, he lost interest in farming local reputation to indirectly improve his friendliness with Knight Kela.

The head of the Bandit Leader would serve as the item for claiming the bounty; it would be better to hand it to the Simons Chamber of Commerce. As long as they knew who had finished off those Bandits, that was enough. Compared to overall reputation, he hoped more to gain the friendship of the Simons Chamber of Commerce later.

Moreover, since no one knew who had finished off those Bandits now, once the people from the Simons Chamber of Commerce publicized his name later, he believed other merchant guilds that were on good terms with them would know of him.

At noon, someone from the Simons Chamber of Commerce came to tell Mr. Xiao Simengsi that Mr. Kendo had returned from Kendall City and was now waiting for them at the Chamber of Commerce.

They, of course, were Mr. Xiao Simengsi and Jier.

Jier knew that after he collected the commission fee from Mr. Kendo, he would leave this place; as for the matters of the people, they would have to rely on each other's support.

However, he was not worried; the people who were still alive now were all people with firm minds and tenacious spirits, and they did not need his help; they would find ways to take revenge themselves.

Speaking of revenge, Jier felt that those so-called Bandits of Luodai Cave had already angered him somewhat; last night's slaughter only eased his rage.

After what happened last night, he truly felt that those Bandits were all bold, extremely cruel, and all deserved to die.

He had to find a way to wipe out those Bandits. For the injured people, for the partners and families of the people who had died, and for the many, many small Caravans and migrating families that had disappeared without a trace on the trade routes.

Since the passing travelers had all died under the blades of these Bandits, someone had to avenge the dead people.

Thinking of these things, Jier followed Mr. Xiao Simengsi and returned to the Simons Chamber of Commerce after eating.