Chapter 877: Torito Cunzi Under the Night (Part 3)

"In that case, I must meet this Herbalist!"

Jier said solemnly.

The surrounding villagers didn't catch much, but the middle-aged archer sensed from the young Knight's grave words just how much importance Jier placed on this Herbalist. He narrowed his eyes and followed up on the young Knight's words: "I know where his house is; I can take you there."

Jier nodded, confirming this.

Then he said: "Just as I said before, the number of villagers supporting me and resisting the Dwarves here is still a bit too small. Since everyone present can confirm that their family members and friends they know have thoughts of resisting the Dwarves, then call them all over! Call them all here!"

Looking left and right, Jier felt there wasn't enough space in this farmer's house, so he said to the farmer: "I'll have to trouble you again; the subsequent expanded gathering will still be held at your place, but it definitely won't fit inside the house. How about we use your courtyard?"

The owners of the house—the middle-aged farmer and his wife—hurriedly agreed: "Knight, whatever you say, we will do!"

Jier extended his left hand and held up one finger: "The courtyard needs a more open area; please clear away the clutter and weeds immediately."

He extended another finger: "Lighting! For a gathering with many people, lighting is very important, especially since the moonlight is insufficient tonight; lighting must be done well. Torches, does the village have torches?"

An elder present responded: "Yes, we do! But since we don't usually use them, the Dwarves gave instructions to store the torches we made in the village's public warehouse."

Jier frowned, because he remembered the various glowing lighting objects the Dwarves used in the center of the village, and worried that the torches in the village warehouse might have been controlled or used by the Dwarves in advance.

So he reminded them: "When I was causing trouble for the Dwarves in the center of the village earlier, I saw them using quite a few lighting objects after dark. Are those the supplies you are talking about?"

The elder waved his hand: "No, no. Sigh, the Dwarves manage things very meticulously. The various public supplies for Humans are not only different from what they use themselves, but the storage locations are also different. They use theirs, and we Humans have our own warehouses and our own supplies."

The elder added: "Of course, Knight, do not have too high expectations for these things. These supplies are all made by us Humans; their quantity and quality cannot compare to the Dwarves' things."

Jier nodded: "Having them is good enough. But hasn't everyone noticed? For lighting supplies that are generally not used in this kind of village, the Dwarves have specifically distinguished their things from ours. And theirs are better!"

Everyone present fell silent; it was clear that those present who had the heart to resist had not failed to notice this subtle difference in their daily lives.

Although the Dwarves managed the Valley very well, after all, an alien race is an alien race; they had never truly trusted the Humans in the village.

"Elder, regarding the lighting supplies, please find a few trustworthy people to go to the village warehouse and retrieve them." After Jier finished speaking, the elder nodded in confirmation.

Taking a deep breath, Jier held up a third finger: "Back to the previous topic, besides clearing the venue and preparing lighting, everyone also needs to contact villagers in the village who have thoughts of resisting the Dwarves. Call them all, regardless of gender, regardless of age; the more people, the better."

Seeing someone wanting to interject, Jier raised his hand to stop them and continued: "The more people, especially the more people standing on our side, the more those villagers who are inclined to be neutral, who don't want to resist, or who don't dare to resist, will be forced to make a choice between resisting and not resisting."

Jier said loudly to the others present: "This is a resistance and battle for freedom and dignity! We must win, and we will surely win. Just as I told everyone before, when I arrived here and after a day of fighting, those Dwarves could do nothing to me, the victory of the Humans will definitely be realized; it is only a matter of tomorrow or the day after."

With a wave of his hand, Jier said: "While contacting the resisting villagers, tell those who don't want to resist that the chariot of victory is rolling toward us. The resisters have already boarded it. Do those who don't resist want to stay where they are? Why not hurry and catch up to the chariot of victory, move forward together, and share the joy and harvest of victory."

"But if, having said this, there are still those who don't want to resist, who want to stay out of this seemingly dangerous matter and choose to remain neutral in the confrontation between Humans and Dwarves, then please let them think carefully: can these people, like the strange Monsters in the mountains, transform into a third race outside of Humans and Dwarves?"

Jier chuckled: "I think no one has the ability to change their racial identity, right?"

"Hahahaha..." The crowd burst into laughter.

Then Jier's voice turned serious: "Besides that, considering the complexity of human nature and the diversity of the human population." These words were a bit convoluted; few of the villagers with low education levels understood them.

"There will inevitably be people who firmly stand on the side of the Dwarves. Choosing to join the Dwarves' ranks, they may have the appearance of Humans, but their hearts are on the side of the Dwarves. Some people have gained benefits by relying on the Dwarves, and some will feel that the Dwarves ruling and managing the village is a natural, inherent thing."

Jier swung his hand down like a sharp sword, then said: "Please do not let these people create trouble for everyone's resistance. If there is anyone in your family who is this kind of person, please tie them up with Rope and bring them here for temporary custody."

The atmosphere changed slightly. Jier's eyes shifted, and he continued: "Rest assured, restricting their freedom of movement only needs to last for a few days. Once the Dwarves are driven away, retreat, and admit defeat, we will set them free. Please note, this is to protect these people. If they are not restricted and create obstacles for the action of resisting the Dwarves, then bloodshed will inevitably occur between Humans and Humans, which would not be very good."

Hearing the Knight say this, many middle-aged people breathed a sigh of relief. Clearly, in their respective homes, there were some young people who had lived and grown up in the village under the management and control of the Dwarves since birth.

Finally, Jier waved his hand and said: "That's it. While it's still early, please everyone take action. The darkness tonight is an excellent opportunity; the Dwarves shouldn't be taking large-scale actions, which provides us with a great opportunity to contact the villagers who resist the Dwarves. Get moving!"

After speaking, Jier stepped aside, signaling for everyone present to go downstairs from his side to take action.

Every time a villager walked past him, Jier would lightly pat the person's shoulder or arm and say a word of encouragement.

It looked like this series of behaviors by Jier was very familiar and smooth, but in reality, behind the scenes, Jier had racked his brains, constantly recalling stories he had seen in his previous life and using some techniques he could remember.

Not to mention, the villagers of Torito Cunzi had little experience and had never seen this before. After Jier's incitement, each one was full of momentum and motivation.

Those who were more experienced, the surviving migrant elders, only acknowledged Jier's series of behaviors with smiles on their faces and did not raise any other opinions or create obstacles.

Perhaps the elder knew that he shouldn't offend this outsider Knight at this time, or that he couldn't weaken the authority of the leading Knight. Even if Jier's arrangements might have shortcomings, this elder only nodded in silence.

One by one, people walked past Jier. While patting these people's shoulders and arms, Jier said to the middle-aged archer in the crowd: "You wait a moment; we will go find that Herbalist together. We will need his help in the subsequent actions."

The middle-aged archer nodded, leaned against the pillar of the farmer's house, and waited quietly.

When most people had left, Jier went downstairs first and called for the middle-aged archer to go with him.

After the two finally went downstairs, the host family of the house hurried to get busy.

The elderly elder went to the Tool Room on the first floor of the house, preparing to take out a Sickle and a small axe to cut down the weeds and small trees in their front yard; the middle-aged farmer's wife, the mistress of the house, got busy, calling the children who were peeking from the third floor of the house to move things that could serve as chairs downstairs together; the head of this farmer's household—a middle-aged farmer—with an excited expression on his face, took a few deep breaths, then gathered his strength, preparing to go downstairs to clear the courtyard and make space for more people to gather later.

Jier let the middle-aged archer lead the way, walking on the small path inside the pitch-black Torito Cunzi.

The two remained silent. The middle-aged archer walked with extremely light footsteps; if it weren't for Jier's sharp ears, he would have barely heard the sound of this person walking. Compared to this, Jier's boots walking on the well-trodden small path in the village made a loud clanking sound.

Not only that, there was also the friction sound of the Metal Armor moving, and the rhythmic sound of the Sword at his waist hitting the armor.

Jier heard the middle-aged archer swallowing his saliva, thought for a moment, and then spoke first: "When did you get here?"

The middle-aged archer let out a breath and forced himself to relax, saying: "My two brothers and I accidentally entered here a few years ago. Like everyone else, once we came in, we couldn't leave."

"Oh, you and your two brothers, are you biological brothers?"

"Knight, the three of us are biological brothers. And the three of us actually still have some fame outside."

"Outside? Yemei Town or Sasi County?"

"Both. We are from Sasi County. Come to think of it, it's quite ridiculous. Torito Cunzi is clearly within the territory of Sasi Baron, yet Sasi Baron never knew that there was an extra village in his territory that never paid taxes. Not to mention there was also a group of Dwarves." The middle-aged archer said with a smile.

Jier also followed with a perfunctory smile, and then he said: "During the day, the archery skills of you three brothers were not bad."

The middle-aged archer broke out in a cold sweat on his back; his breathing stopped for a moment, but thinking that no matter what, this Knight Jier wouldn't kill him while he was still useful, he calmed down.

He answered cautiously: "Actually, during the day, I understood, Knight. You could definitely easily break through to my and my brothers' side. Although the three of us have some skills in using bows and arrows, that definitely couldn't stop you. Not to mention those young people in the village who are as talkative and useless as flies."

After finishing, he even snorted, expressing his disdain for those young people who were loyal to the Dwarves.

Jier smiled slightly: "I'm telling the truth, the skills of you three are indeed not bad. If I had recklessly charged directly at you, I would have at least been injured."

"You think too highly of us." The middle-aged archer said with some bitterness.

Jier changed the subject: "Do you have any plans to work for me in the future?"

"Work for you? After solving the matter here? Forgive me for saying a word of apology first, sir. Being restricted here by the Dwarves, actually, not only is that Herbalist miserable, but the three of us are also full of resentment. If it weren't for the lack of confidence in being able to break out of Huitou Forest, we would have run away on the first day we arrived here."

"You were also married before you came in? And your wives were pregnant?" Jier teased.

"That's not the case. While my other brother and I have started families and have had children for a long time, our youngest brother hasn't married yet, nor has he found a girl he fancies. It's just that for several years, our family has relied on the three of us brothers hunting and fighting to earn a living. Suddenly, the three of us went missing; even if there were some savings at home, I don't know how they are living now..."

Speaking up to this point, the evasive words no longer seemed like excuses thought up on the spot, but rather became sincere.

As he spoke, this middle-aged archer, who was over a dozen years older than Jier, suddenly began to sob in a low voice.

Jier pursed his lips and changed his approach to persuade him: "After the matter here is resolved, I have another battle ahead. It isn't very easy, but it isn't too difficult either. I think you all will likely need a sum of money later, and I happen to have some coins for hiring hands. Are you interested in working for me?"

Soon, the middle-aged archer stopped sobbing and shedding tears. He turned to Jier with a formal tone and said: "At your service, Knight Jier. The Tusi brothers will be your three loyal and useful sturdy arms. Whether it is birds flying in the sky, roe deer faintly visible in the forest, wild boars covered in mud and armor, or rude, shouting Bandits, as long as you issue the command, the Tusi brothers' sharp arrows will surely arrive!"

Jier laughed out loud, and the middle-aged archer—Kangpu'ao'ai-Tuosi—immediately indicated that his other brother was following in concealment nearby and asked if he needed to be called over.

Having long noticed that someone was following behind a Farmer's house, Jier did not feel surprised and naturally let him come over to join the group.

Subsequently, the eldest of the archers, Datus, gave a whistle. Instantly, a whistle sounded in response from behind the house on the right side of the road, and immediately after, someone came running over quickly.

It was a young man in his twenties, carrying a Large Bow on his back and several extra Large Arrow quivers. As soon as he ran over, he carefully kept his distance from Jier, who was wearing armor, circled around Jier to reach his eldest brother's side, and asked a question in a low voice.

Although this person lowered his voice, the night in Torito Cunzi was very quiet, and Jier heard it clearly.

It was nothing more than asking what had happened and questioning why his eldest brother would walk together with an outsider Knight.

Datus explained the previous events in detail, and the young man carrying the Large Bow immediately said excitedly: "A chance to leave this place? Really?"

Jier patted the Long Sword at his waist and interjected: "Once the Dwarfs are dealt with, naturally you can come and go as you please in the future."

The young man immediately said: "If I can leave, I will never come here again in my life! Although this place looks quite vast to the locals, to people from the outside, it is actually tiny as hell! Especially for wandering Hunters like us. Ha, just chasing a beast almost exceeded the range designated by the Dwarfs; it's really something."

"Very good, that's it. Let's work together, defeat those Dwarfs, and then leave this place," Jier said with a smile.

Afterward, on the road, he asked them about the Tusi brothers' past adventures and feats.

The eldest of the three brothers was a middle-aged man who spoke with humility and caution, while the second-eldest young man was much looser with his words, and in just a few sentences, he laid out the main experiences of the three brothers.

Of course, he only spoke of them simply.

Jier learned that the Tusi brothers were quite far apart in age; the eldest was in his early thirties, which was already a considerable age in this different world. When they first went out from home to adventure, it was this one who first set the example.

Their family was a well-known Hunter family in Sasi County, and by their generation, the accumulation of equipment and skills had finally reached a certain level.

The young Datus had already made a name for himself when he started out, dispersing Goblins harassing remote villages, tracking down man-eating beasts, driving away forest Monsters that broke into the plains, and following large Caravans to escort goods, among other things.

By the time he became famous, a few years had passed, and it just so happened that Kangni'ersi-Tuosi had come of age, so he called him along to venture out together.

After the number of people went from one to two, the two skilled Hunters could do much more, and they even made a fortune through several opportunities for adventure. Afterward, the two of them married and started families. After resting for two years, they called the youngest of the three brothers, Kangbawei-Tuosi, and the three of them formed a famous combined team, catching the eye of the upper-class people in Sasi County.

It just so happened that a few years ago, there were outside Bandits active. These outsiders were ruthless and thorough in their actions, often capturing all the Merchants who came to do business and holding them for ransom. After a few times, local trade suffered, and Sasi Baron ordered the extermination of these outside Bandits.

Thus, the three brothers received an invitation and joined the Knight troop to exterminate the Bandits.

According to Zhongtusi, they made no small contribution in that Bandit extermination operation; not to mention rising in the world, they could be considered to have established a solid bond of combat friendship with the leading Knight.

"And then?" Jier asked after hearing this story.

After he finished speaking, he patted his head, and his Gauntlet and Helmet made a metallic clashing sound: "Look at me, you all then mistakenly entered Huitou Forest, right?"

Datus shrugged and said nothing; was this not obvious? But Zhongtusi stomped his feet hard and cursed: "It's all the fault of those hateful Dwarfs. If not for them, we would definitely have become important attendants to a Knight by now. By then, the whole family could have moved into town and lived in a good house!"

Jier laughed out loud: "Perhaps it's not too late now!" As he spoke, he pointed at himself.

The Hunting Sword slightly left its Sword Sheath, revealing a white light to provide illumination, allowing the two archers to see clearly the gesture of Jier pointing at himself.

Unexpectedly, the young archer, Zhongtusi, shook his head: "You can't, right? I heard from my eldest brother that you are from the Northwest Province; you are not from here. We might be able to work for you temporarily, but our family is in Sasi County; how could we pledge loyalty to a Knight from an outside province? If you return to the Northwest Province, would we have to follow you with our whole family?"

This actually stumped Jier for a moment.

He frowned and thought about it, but could not think of a secure answer, so Jier had to sheepishly put his hand down, and the Hunting Sword also consciously retreated back into the Sword Sheath.

The white light vanished, and the surroundings returned to the pitch-black environment.