Chapter 348: Hunter Stronghold - Bidding Farewell to the Chamber of Commerce and Moving

In the evening, Jier told Todd at the Table Corner Tavern about joining the Hunter team under Knight Lanisha.

"So? You won't be taking those commissions anymore?" Todd's interest was low; naturally, no one would be high-spirited hearing that a newly started career was ending just like that.

Jier nodded. He took a sip of beer, smacked his lips, and said, "It's likely difficult. If there's an opportunity, of course I'd want to keep taking commissions, but this isn't a long-term job after all."

Todd poured himself a beer to drink as well. Logically, as a bartender, he shouldn't be drinking, but at this very moment, he felt like having something.

"You're right, Jier. Forget it, I'll think of another way."

Jier thought for a moment and offered him an idea. Jier introduced him to a few militiamen he knew from the Militia who had good skills. Todd thought about it and felt that distant water couldn't quench a near thirst; the militiamen Jier introduced were still far away in the mountains and forests clearing out Bandits. As for manpower similar to the Militia, it wasn't as if he didn't know anyone.

Thus, Todd told Jier about his plans.

Todd intended to use their tavern to build it into a reliable location for commission tasks in Kendall City. For the manpower to handle the commissions, Todd could look for some young people in the city who were unwilling to accept the status quo, or, as Jier suggested, look for this year's outstanding militiamen. Actually, Todd felt that previous years' militiamen would also work, but after hearing Jier's brief account of this year's militia achievements, Todd himself felt that compared to this year's militiamen, the so-called clearing of Bandits by previous years' militiamen was just like going through the motions.

Afterward, Jier drank heavily in the tavern until he finally couldn't drink any more, and only then did he return to the Fox Tail Chamber of Commerce to rest.

Jier lay on the small bed, wrapped in thick bedding, with a wolf-fur Cloak draped over the outside of the bedding to keep out the cold. Although the walls of the Chamber of Commerce were thick, they couldn't really block the low temperatures of the cold winter outside, and there were no insulating layers inside the walls, so it was still very cold once winter arrived.

To prevent fires, there were no burning fireplaces on the three floors of the Chamber of Commerce building. There was only a fireplace in the first-floor restaurant that could provide warmth, and one in the second-floor lobby, but it was impossible to run down there specifically to start a fire just to lean against it for warmth while sleeping.

Fortunately, Jier had grown accustomed to sleeping in the wild recently. Compared to the colder and harsher wild outside, at least there was no wind blowing on his body inside the Chamber of Commerce room. Whether there is wind in winter makes a difference of two temperatures; when there is no wind, no matter how cold it is, by leaning against a fire or wrapping one's clothing tightly, one can withstand the bitter cold. But once the wind picks up at night, the fire might be blown out when one isn't paying attention, which is very dangerous; one might freeze to death in the wild without even knowing it.

At this time, the people rotating on guard duty are very critical. When they see the fire go out, they must immediately start a fire again.

And if one doesn't start a fire and relies only on clothing and bedding to keep warm while spending the night in the wild, one must be very careful when encountering wind. Except for the mouth and nose for breathing, other parts must not come into direct contact with the outside. Otherwise, when you wake up the next day, you will find that a certain limb or exposed part of your body has been directly frozen off or damaged by the cold wind.

No matter how you look at it, it is very dangerous.

In the morning, since Jier had already agreed with Old Fox Tail and Jamula yesterday that he would move out today, he got up early to start packing his things. Small items were packed into coarse Linen Cloth bags, and large items were carried downstairs first and placed on the wagon that hadn't been hitched to horses yet.

The Shop Assistant responsible for taking care of the donkeys fed Jier's horses full of hay and kindly took out a large piece of Linen Cloth cover that could protect horses and donkeys from the cold. Seeing this, Jier felt embarrassed to take the care and items for nothing and wanted to spend money to purchase them.

"Jier, no need. This was instructed by the old President yesterday. Although you are leaving, remember that if you meet the Chamber of Commerce's Shop Assistants on the road, you must help them a lot!" This Shop Assistant, who was not many years older than Jier, hugged Jier and said.

"No problem, if I run into them, I will help the Caravan a lot," Jier promised.

His belongings were actually not many; after two round trips, he had moved all his possessions onto the wagon.

After eating one last meal in the restaurant, Jier said goodbye to Huini'er the cook and Auntie Dilu who had always taken care of him, then went to the backyard, hitched the horses to the carriage's Jiansheng, and carefully signaled the horses to let them pull the carriage out of the Fox Tail Chamber of Commerce by themselves.

Walking onto the main street of Kendall, Jier turned his head to look at the Chamber of Commerce. At the second-floor window, Jamula and President Old Fox Tail were both watching him. He waved his hand to signal his farewell, and they also waved their hands, bidding farewell to Jier, a passerby in their lives.

"Jier is a good young man, it's a pity he couldn't join our Chamber of Commerce," President Old Fox Tail said regretfully while stroking his beard.

Beside him, Jamula also felt it was a pity. After all, as soon as one interacted with him, one could feel that compared to other Chamber of Commerce Shop Assistants, Jier was clearly a smart person who had undergone long-term cultural education. Such a person could develop quickly anywhere in Kendall. It was a pity that Jier didn't seem to like doing things in a steady, honest way; he preferred running outside the city, as if the vast and dangerous world had countless things attracting him.

Jier pulled the Jiansheng slightly, letting the horses slowly pull the wagon toward the Hunter team Jiedian he had scouted yesterday. Calling it a Jiedian, it was actually just a two-story house with front and back yards. The house was located among several houses between the Craftsman District and the Government Office.

The location was not remote at all, but because it was blocked by the workshops of the Craftsmen and the Government Office with its constant flow of people, it appeared less noticeable.

Before knowing about this place, Jier even thought these houses also belonged to the Craftsman District church.

After slightly making way for the people coming and going from the Government Office, Jier turned the carriage into a small path right next to the wall of the Government Office. The road was narrow and could only accommodate one carriage. Jier didn't quite know how to drive a carriage, so he had to let the horse pulling the cart do its own thing.

After letting the wagon scrape against the walls on both sides a few times, Jier finally arrived at the house inside along the road.

"One, two, three. The third house is it." Jier stopped outside the front yard of the third house.

He jumped down from the driver's seat of the carriage, walked to the door, and knocked on the wooden door: "I'm Jier! Is anyone inside?"

Soon, a response came from inside: "Jier? Oh, coming, coming. My old bones have sharp ears; you don't need to knock on the door so loudly."

Jier, recognizing the voice as one of the old Hunters in the team, awkwardly lowered his fist that he had raised again: "Is that Uncle Tuosite? I moved here from the Chamber of Commerce according to Knight Lanisha's wishes."

The wooden door of the house opened, and a set of footsteps walked over the snow that had fallen a while ago and still hadn't melted. Immediately after, the gate of the Jiedian opened. The two wooden doors opened inward, and the old Hunter Tuosite, dressed casually, beckoned Jier to bring the carriage in.

It was only a two-step walk, so Jier didn't climb back onto the driver's seat; he directly pulled the horses' Jiansheng and slowly guided the carriage into the front yard of the Hunter Jiedian.

On the left and right sides of the front yard gate were sheds where large livestock like horses and donkeys could be kept. Right next to them were a water well, a specialty of Kendall, and a sewage outlet; the two were placed on opposite sides of the yard and were not adjacent.

In the corners of the yard, there was also a lot of firewood for heating and cooking. Besides that, along the wall side, some Fruit Trees were planted. By the looks of it, those Fruit Trees were not of just one variety.

After closing the gate, the old Hunter Tuosite helped Jier unload a portion of the items from the wagon. As for the other Metal Ingots, they were left untouched; Jier explained that he would later take them to the Craftsman District to find a Craftsman to process and make new Armor.

"Wasn't your original Armor quite good? What, you're still not satisfied with that Armor?" Tuosite asked while leading Jier into the house.

After Jier followed him inside, he looked at the surrounding environment and discovered that, presumably because they were all Hunters, the first-floor lobby of the house was decorated with many prey heads and fur hangings; all kinds of animals displayed the Hunters' formidable Hunting capabilities. In one corner of the room, there was also a small Prayer altar, on which hung an animal skin with a deity symbol drawn on it; it was unknown which deity it was.

"I feel it's still lacking a bit. Compared to hard cowhide, iron or steel Armor should be much stronger. I melted down the good steel I got from the Bandits, preparing it as the main material for making new Armor. Other inferior iron materials will be used as auxiliary materials for the Armor. I'll sell the excess; it just so happens that the price of iron materials in Kendall City is quite high recently. It was all free, so selling it can earn a sum."

"Ha, you talk a lot like the Merchants, but that's fine. With new Armor, you can better complete coordination in the team. After all, everyone needs a melee Warrior like you who can fight and take hits," the old Hunter Tuosite said.

Immediately after, he introduced the Hunter Jiedian to Jier.

After entering from the gate, this place was divided into three parts: the front yard, the house, and the back yard. The front yard, as Jier saw, could accommodate animals like horses and donkeys. The house was divided into two floors; the first floor had three areas: the lobby, the kitchen, and the storage room. The lobby space was very large, and everyone usually communicated here. The second floor was divided into many small rooms for each Hunter to live in. There were twelve small rooms in total, not all occupied, and Jier could choose an empty room to settle in first.

The back yard was relatively more open and was a place where everyone usually practiced shooting. Inside, many wooden animal Targets were set up, making it convenient for everyone to maintain their bow and arrow shooting level in the Jiedian.

Tuosite looked Jier over and said: "Since you've joined us, why not also practice using a bow and arrow? But this thing in your bag is really no good. My Apprentice stopped using this kind of soft bow and arrow when he was ten."

Jier pointed to a Hunting Bow he had seized from the Bandits and smiled: "I got this from the Bandits. I just use it to play around; I rarely practice. You can basically assume I've hardly touched a bow and arrow."

"I see. Then you go tidy up the room and settle down first. I'll prepare a bow and arrow for you to learn with, and you'll have to practice a bit these next few days."

Jier followed the old Hunter up the wooden stairs to the second floor. The second floor had an open center with a circle of small rooms around it. The doors of the rooms already occupied had the names of the various Hunters hanging on them.

Opening an empty room without a name hanging on it, this room was about the same size as the room the Chamber of Commerce gave him, only it had a few more pieces of furniture. The room had a window, a wooden table, a wooden chair, as well as sturdy wooden shelves and a Wooden Box. The box even had a simple metal Lock with a key on it.

"How is it? Although the place is a bit small, it has everything it should have. Look, there's even a Wooden Box with a Lock; important things can be kept inside. These wooden shelves are for placing Armor, weapons, and such, making them easy to access," the old Hunter Tuosite explained to Jier one by one.

"Very good, better than the room I lived in before. By the way, Uncle, besides you in the Jiedian, where are the others? I remember everyone came back with Knight Lanisha at the time. Did the others all leave?" Jier hadn't seen anyone other than Tuosite in the Jiedian, hence the question.

The old Hunter opened the wooden window to ventilate the room and drive away the dusty smell in the vacant room.

"Oh, the other old guys have houses and relatives in Kendall City, so they all went over there. The young ones went out to play early in the morning. It seems one of the guys hit it off with one of the women we rescued earlier, and the others are all feeling a bit eager to try." Speaking of this, the old Hunter Tuosite chuckled.

Jier knew that people in this other world, especially the commoners, actually didn't view things like female chastity as very important. Young girls could be with the objects of their affection during festivals every year, and these things had nothing to do with who they would marry later. And the young men among the common people didn't care about this either; after all, the lives of the common people were difficult, and it was really hard to focus on things like morality.

Moreover, the migrants of the new Kingdom mostly migrated from the Empire. Most of them were unable to survive due to oppression in the Empire, so they had to embark on the migrant army organized by the church and come to the newly established Kingdom. Each migrant family often crossed many trials and difficulties; many families were forced to separate on the road, and then everyone reorganized together for survival, forming new families.

After several splits and reunions, the people who arrived on the new land didn't care about these things anymore. And the atmosphere in the Empire was actually very open; measuring a person was mostly based on their property and ability, and there were actually few moral considerations.

Because those Nobles, churches, Merchants, and mages who oppressed the people actually didn't have much morality to speak of.

Through these days of communication, learning, and observation, Jier knew the atmosphere here. He actually felt a sense of relief that the women rescued from the Bandits were not discriminated against by others.

Originally, they had been oppressed and suffered in the hands of the Bandits. If they were to be discriminated against by society for an even longer time after being rescued, it would have been better not to rescue them at all and let them be devoured by Magic Beasts; that might have been a way, even if it wasn't a good one.

Additionally, there is one point Jier has not yet understood, which is that in this other world, those powerful people in the upper echelons of society are not actually divided by gender; male and female Nobles both possess power equally, male and female Priests are the same in the eyes of the gods, and male and female Mages or other similar users of Magic Power are not distinguished by gender either, but rather more by the differences between various schools of thought.

As for male and female Knights, although male Knights are slightly higher in combat ability, the survival rate of female Knights is actually higher than that of male Knights.

Jier made the bed in his new house, then put some important items into a Wooden Box with a Lock, hiding the key wedged under a wooden chair. He took out his weapons and Armor and arranged them on a wooden rack, placing items with sentimental value behind the rack, and weapons for immediate use in front.

Things like paper, pens, and ink were all placed on a small wooden table, which mostly held maps of places he had traveled and design blueprints for Armor and weapons.

Jier filled his small Money Box with Silver Coins and copper coins, while putting some copper coins and Iron Coins in his own money pouch for daily use; the Gold Coins were kept in a small bag, which he planned to hide in a treasure chest outside the city when he had time, as that chest was filled with all the Gold Coins he had accumulated.

After getting everything settled, Jier closed the door, locked the Lock, put the key in his money pouch, went downstairs to greet the old Hunter Tuosite, said he was going out to handle those Metal Ingots, and then carefully drove the carriage away from the relatively narrow Hunter Stronghold.

He first went to a tailor shop in the Wild Grape Market to hand over his wolf-fur Cloak, which had been damaged in a previous battle, for repairs; he then handed several large, square animal hides to a leatherworking shop, asking the Craftsman to make these hides into a canopy for his cargo wagon, while the wooden support beams for the canopy could be made by finding an apprentice at a Carpenter workshop, which was not expensive.

Once these two were finished, his cargo wagon would have an animal-hide canopy to shield it from wind and rain; of course, considering the future, he also bought a few pieces of coarse Linen Cloth at a general store, which could be altered by someone to serve as a canopy during the hot season.

Jier took the opportunity to process the Metal Ingots in his wagon; the high-quality steel had already been handed over to Ganna yesterday, and today he handed over some Iron Ingots to Ganna, letting these Iron Ingots serve as material for the less important parts of the Armor.

Jier sold the remaining extra Metal Ingots to the weapon-making workshop next door. He also happened to obtain a shaft for a Metal Spear. Jier changed the Long Spear shaft from wood to metal, mainly considering different uses. Later, Jier would still have to modify them to pair this metal shaft with a double-edged spearhead. As for the original wooden shaft, it would be paired with a sharp spear tip.

In this way, he would have two polearms: the all-metal double-edged spear would serve as a weapon for melee combat, while the wooden-shafted spear with a spear tip would serve as a thrusting weapon, such as for use while riding a horse.

Jier was already considering that once he had three horses, one would be used specifically for pulling the wagon, one specifically for riding in combat, and one would be responsible for carrying supplies and provisions when traveling long distances without the wagon, and could normally pull the wagon together with the horse used for pulling.

Regarding the issue of protection for the horses, Jier did not yet have any good solutions; after all, Kendall City was only just beginning to cultivate Craftsmen for human Armor, let alone for horses. The warhorse Armor of Knight Kela and Knight Lanisha was either made by specialized horse Armor Craftsmen in the Province Capital or produced by master armorers within the military at the Kingdom capital.

It was not something Jier could manage at his current stage.