Chapter 19: Pendor

It was near evening when Allen and his party walked out of the dense forest of the Misty Mountains. Under Allen's stern order, everyone had walked through the mountains for an entire day without stopping. However, Allen did not hear any complaints; everyone knew that the later they left the Misty Mountains, the more dangerous it would be, so they had to get out of the forest before dark.

While in the dense forest, Aota had come to find Allen, suggesting they could temporarily head to a nearby village to rest for a day to facilitate better travel. Allen rejected this proposal and explained to Aota that this would likely bring a catastrophe upon the village. Allen did not want to emulate the way some mountains lure people up to force others to join him; he preferred that those people choose to join him because they felt from the bottom of their hearts that they could have a better life following him.

Upon walking out of the dense forest, everyone's mood finally improved, as they could see the Carrock standing in the distance at a glance. Allen knew that the sentries on the Carrock could also see them, and he believed someone would come to meet them soon.

Sure enough, Yamila brought James and the Swadian Knight who had been resting at home to meet Allen.

After they arrived, they first re-treated all the wounded, then brought out a large amount of cooked food and clean water for Allen and his group to eat. In reality, it was unnecessary; the food Allen and his group had brought when they set out had not been completely eaten, and even if it had, it wouldn't have been a big deal for Allen—he could just buy more with Dinar. However, this was all a gesture of Yamila's kindness.

After a period of busyness, the sky grew slightly dark, and the group slowly began to head toward the camp. At this time, it was actually relatively safe, and Allen also began discussing the future life of their people with Beorn on the way.

At this moment, Allen believed that he had changed Beorn's destiny, from the original loner (in the movie) to now having a wife and children, and even an added neighbor. Allen believed this would greatly improve Beorn's mental world.

However, because of this, Allen could not be sure if Beorn would still be willing to stay and live at the Carrock for a long time.

He walked beside Beorn and said words of persuasion: "My friend, I believe you can already feel that the Misty Mountains are becoming more and more dangerous. It is no longer suitable for you to survive there. How about it, Beorn, are you interested in being my neighbor?"

Regarding Allen, Beorn was undoubtedly grateful, and he also greatly admired Allen's noble character. It wasn't just anyone who could decide to lead their soldiers to risk their lives to help a poor stranger they had never met in just a few words; Beorn had only heard of such noble people in ancient poems.

Regarding Allen's persuasion, Beorn's heart agreed. This was not only out of gratitude and admiration for Allen's character, but also a genuine consideration of their current situation. What Allen said made a lot of sense; they could not return to the Misty Mountains, at least not until the Orcish were wiped out. It was just that Beorn knew his race's living habits were very different from ordinary Humans, and if they lived together, it might bring Allen quite a bit of trouble.

Beorn was not a person who liked empty pleasantries, but after all, Allen was the savior of his family. Facing Allen's invitation, he weighed his words, and only after a long while did he reply to Allen's expectant gaze: "I am very willing to be your neighbor, my friend, but our race's living habits might bring you trouble, so I think we might need to live a bit further away."

Allen heard the answer he wanted and was extremely happy in his heart. He was increasingly satisfied with his decision to lead troops to the Misty Mountains this time; not only did he earn a temporary Dwarf blacksmith, but he also gained some powerful neighbors. This would be greatly beneficial for defending against future Orcish attacks. When the Orcish attacked, Beorn and his people couldn't just watch, right?

As for Beorn's worries, Allen had already thought of them. Allen believed that it would actually be better for the villagers to live on the hills and plains, as this would allow for the cultivation of large amounts of farmland and provide vast grasslands for them to open up pastures. Moreover, it would be easier to arrange patrol work and protect them. Allen already felt that the number of Cavalry was stretched thin, and if he expanded the territory, he might have to consider building beacon towers, which was not very realistic for the existing productivity of the village.

That Oak Forest next to the village was reserved for Beorn and his people. In the original work, that was also where Beorn lived; the territory was quite large, enough for Beorn and his people to live.

Allen, who had long since made up his mind, said to Beorn with a face full of smiles: "This problem is not hard to solve, Beorn. It doesn't have to be that houses must be next to each other to be called neighbors. There is a large Oak Forest near my village, and I think it is very suitable for you. After we go back, you can go take a look first; if you are not satisfied, we can find another place."

Beorn nodded after hearing this, agreeing to Allen's suggestion, and then began to chat with Allen. The topics ranged from well-behaved animals to delicious pastries, from interesting stories to ancient poems, covering an extremely wide range. Allen, relying on his rich knowledge reserve, communicated with Beorn easily, while silently complaining in his heart: how could I not tell before that you, a giant of two meters forty-five, were so talkative?

Ever since Beorn rescued his family, a heavy stone in his heart had fallen. On the way, he had been communicating with his family and friends, and after learning they were unharmed, his mental state improved significantly. That was why he could chat with Allen in such an excellent mood now. Of course, Beorn could not have imagined that Allen had long known he would come, just not the time or the method, and Allen had already made up his mind to help him.

Beorn believed this was God blessing him, allowing him to meet Allen and rescue his family.

Time flew by during the pleasant chat. When everyone returned to the village, Tilian, the Maia obsessed with the radiance of Arien, had already piloted the moon ship to the sky above the Wilderland.

Allen arranged for the two Silvan Elf and three Dwarf to stay in the Lord's Longhouse. At the time, Artimenner suggested naming this wooden house, which only had a few rooms, Allen's Palace, which was again sternly rejected by Allen. If he dared to call such a wooden house a palace, would he name it the Imperial Palace when he really built a castle later?

Yamila arranged for several villagers to take care of the daily lives of these few, and James also brought all the wounded and the rescued captives back to his hospital.

After everyone finished their tasks, they returned to their rooms to rest one after another.

Lying on the bed, Allen did not fall asleep because the Simulator gave a new prompt.

【Obtained one point of Soul Energy; amounts less than an integer are not counted.】

【You have opened a new world, drawing a new world.】

【Congratulations, welcome to travel to Pendor.】

【Simulator cooldown has refreshed, do you want to start the simulation?】

【Yes/No】

【Yes】

【Simulator starting.】

【Please select the world you wish to travel to.】

【You have arrived in Pendor.】

【Time: Unknown】

【Location: Boshi Cheng, Fengrao Jiuguan】

【You are a remote bloodline of the Pendor royal family left outside. One morning a month ago, your parents suddenly left a letter informing you of the specific details. It turned out your identity had been discovered. Since the "Blood Disaster," the members of the royal family who once ruled Pendor had been almost wiped out by the Black Death. You might be the only bloodline of the Pendor royal family left in the world, and those currently ruling Pendor are almost all traitors and invaders. Your parents mentioned in the letter that if you want to find answers and help them, you must go to Pendor, and you are currently in the Baccus Empire, one of the five kingdoms of Pendor.】

【This is Boshi Cheng, one of the important towns of the Baccus Empire. You are enjoying dinner comfortably in the tavern, but there are always people who disturb you at inappropriate times. You keenly and suddenly notice that several people who just entered the tavern are staring at you with ill intent from a table near the window. Judging by their attire and dress, they should be local gangsters. You just arrived in Boshi Cheng by sea and are unfamiliar with the place; you don't know why they are like this, but you feel thick malice from them. You know you cannot stay here.】

【You threw down a few coins, got up and left Fengrao Jiuguan, and came to the bustling streets of Boshi Cheng, walking aimlessly. You can sense that those few people are following not far behind you. They are much more familiar with the surrounding environment than you are; you know you cannot shake them off.】

【You deliberately look for a quiet place in the streets, wanting to give the people following you a surprise there. Soon you find the location you wanted; it is a small alley only one meter wide, located between a tavern and a brothel. You don't know where it leads, but you know your pursuers behind you will definitely follow you in and do something to you.】

【You have great confidence in your own strength. Although you cannot be invincible here like you were in Calradia—after all, Magic exists here, and under the nourishment of Magic energy, the combat power of soldiers here is generally higher—your strength is still slightly stronger than the official Knight of any Knight Order on this continent.】

【Sure enough, just as you expected, you, climbing on the wall using your hands and feet, look down from above at the five people hurrying into the increasingly dark alley. Soon they walk out again; clearly, it is a dead end. Borrowing the evening afterglow, you can even see the anxiety and confusion on their faces.】

【You jump directly down from the wall, and while giving them a big fright, you draw the noble gauntlet cross-sword from your waist. This was specially crafted for you by your father, a minor noble, at a great cost; it is made of pure steel and is extremely sharp. The gangster members opposite, having stabilized from their panic, also draw their weapons one after another and rush toward you.】

【In less than a minute, amidst the wailing of others, you have already held your sword to their leader's neck. You ask why they were following you; the other party does not answer. You casually wave your hand to kill an enemy wailing on the ground, and put the sword back to his neck. His legs tremble, and he still does not answer. You swing your sword again to kill two more. The other party is scared out of his wits by your calm expression when killing, and his pants slowly get wet. You still hold the sword to his neck, looking at him silently.】

【He breaks down, crying and telling you that he only knew a big shot had issued a bounty mission to all the gangster members in Boshi Cheng, which was to keep an eye on young people coming from outside Pendor at all times; being able to catch them would be even better, and the bounty was very generous.】

【And his boss took this bounty. The owner of Fengrao Jiuguan is his boss's sworn brother, and it was he who passed your information out. These people intended to kidnap you directly and get the bounty. After finishing, he collapses on the ground, his mouth constantly saying words of begging for mercy, wanting to obtain your forgiveness.】

【You glance at the clothes on your body and suddenly realize. Afterward, you continue to press the gangster member in front of you for the location of his gang. He informs you that it is in the slums of the lower city of Boshi Cheng. You nod, casually sending the two still-living people away with two sword strikes. You believe that your integrity and kindness are reserved for those who, at the very least, have no subjective malice toward you, and the five pieces of trash on the ground do not deserve your kindness. You walk out of this narrow alley, carefully observe the surroundings, and seeing that you have not attracted the attention of others, you leave leisurely.】

【The commercial atmosphere of Boshi Cheng is very strong; even though it is getting dark, many shops have not closed. You casually find a clothing store in the city, buy a few pieces of ready-to-wear clothing, and then find a quiet location to change. Afterward, you lower your hat brim and come to Fengrao Jiuguan again. Yes, you do not intend to let the tavern owner off.】

【Late at night, even the tavern is about to close. You watch the lights in the tavern go out, quietly sneak to the window on the side of the tavern, use your Longsword to pick the latch inside, and then climb in.】

【You carefully avoid the tables and chairs in the tavern, glance at the guard sleeping on a tavern table, go up to the second floor along the stairs, and arrive outside the owner's room. The owner is not asleep; you can hear the sound of him tossing and turning on the bed. You gently push open the bedroom door, but the door still inevitably makes a slight "creak" sound. The tavern owner sits up abruptly and sees you.】

【In the dark room, he cannot see clearly who you are, but he still recognizes you. He does not call for help, nor does he resist, only trembling and whispering that he has money, and asking if he can use money to make up for his mistake. At this time, his wife and children are also awakened; there is no screaming, no crying, only quietly looking at you on the bed, with fear revealed in their eyes.】

【You ask him with interest why he didn't run. He gives a bitter smile, saying that all his foundation and all his connections are in this place. Run? Where to run? Where is there not cannibalism? He explains again that he was not willing to be sworn brothers with a gang leader, but opening a tavern always requires knowing this or that person, and being forced by others to do this or that.】

【You soften your heart. Yes, you soften your heart. You sigh, carefully ask about the situation of this gang, and learn the specific information about this so-called Beard Gang. This is the largest gang in Boshi Cheng, with countless peripheral members and dozens of core members. At the same time, you ask for information about that so-called big shot. The tavern owner tells you that the big shot comes from the Red Brotherhood and is called "Daofeng Yawen," who is the agent of the Red Brotherhood in Boshi Cheng during this period. It was he who issued the bounty mission; he doesn't know more information about this matter.】

【But he tells you that the Red Brotherhood is a behemoth in Pendor, most famous for their assassins and slave trade, and many minor nobles dare not provoke them.】

【You indicate that this is not a problem he should consider. You tell him that his sworn brother's gang will disappear tonight, and from now on, you will take one-fifth of his tavern's income as his ransom money.】

【The tavern owner hears this and indicates that he can give you one-fourth; after all, his brother previously wanted to take that much from him. You wave your hand without saying anything and leave the owner's room. You hear the owner let out a deep breath, and then a burst of low sobbing comes from the room.】

【You learn from the owner's mouth that the slum area is just one of the gang's strongholds. Usually, only peripheral members of the gang are there, and core members only go to that place when collecting protection fees and arranging tasks. The place they often stay is also in a residential area in this region, located in the third row, the fifth building. Those who live there are all the wealthy households of Boshi Cheng, and the residential area even has its own patrol team.】

【You go down from the second floor, leave the tavern, and when leaving, you glance again at the guard who is still sleeping soundly on the table.】

【According to the tavern owner's information, you avoid the soldiers patrolling the streets all the way and arrive at the residential area the owner mentioned. Sure enough, even the heads of the gangs know how to find a good place to live. The houses here are generally large three-story detached villas of brick and wood, with their own courtyard walls, and guards holding torches patrol the streets from time to time. You can tell at a glance that the house prices here are not cheap.】

【Of course, this has nothing to do with you. Even in your previous life, you couldn't afford such a house. You avoid the guards patrolling the streets, find your target, and confirming there is no protection like glass on the wall, you leap over it.】

【After entering, you crouch on the ground and observe the situation in the courtyard. The courtyard is very quiet, but there are still lights on in the second floor of the villa, and a burst of noise comes from inside, sounding like gambling. You don't care about these, come to the other side of the house, and using your hands and feet, climb onto the third-floor balcony. Very luckily, the door is not locked.】

【You walked inside and discovered a woman tied to the bed. You walked over and discovered that this was actually an Elf! You learned from her mouth that this was indeed the headquarters of the Beard Gang. She hoped that you could save her. Although you could tell that she did not hold much hope, you did not say anything more. You also did not untie her, but instead stuffed the cloth back into her mouth, then signaled for her not to panic, as you would return very soon. Subsequently, you began searching all the rooms on the third floor and killed everyone who was sleeping on the third floor. You believed that there were no so-called good people here, and servants could not possibly be sleeping in such nice rooms.】

【Subsequently, you went down to the first floor. You first quietly observed the layout of the first floor. Apart from two drowsy guards standing at the entrance, there was no one else awake. You lurked over, killed them, gently placed them on the ground, and then began a massacre on the first floor.】

【You did not carefully count exactly how many people you had killed. Aside from the few servants you knocked unconscious, there should have been at least thirty-something. You could not understand why the so-called biggest gang in Boshi Cheng had such lax security, but you did not think much of it. You felt that it might be because you were too strong, and you indeed clearly felt that you had become stronger, with your overall strength increasing by more than a third. You had not yet had time to figure out the reason, and you did not have the time for it for now; the people on the second floor were still waiting for you to deal with them.】

【However, most of the rooms on the second floor were empty. All the remaining people seemed to be gambling in that room with the light on. Finally, you arrived at the door of this room, took a deep breath, covered your face with a piece of black cloth, kicked the door open, and rushed inside.】