Two or three days had passed since that night at the brothel. During that time, Roger had set up a stall at the Mercenary Guild for two days, but he really didn't recruit many people. He was worried about the newcomer, and the veterans looked down on him, so he simply didn't go on the last day. He stayed in the hotel and carefully studied the newly developed Guardian Eye.
Under Lilith's careful care, Carol's condition has improved, her internal injuries have begun to dissipate, and her fighting spirit has slowly gathered.
Surprisingly, it was through Carol that Roger learned that she was actually an eighth-rank swordsman. That day, she was captured because she was besieged by two swordsmen of the same level and a magician. Hearing this, Roger wanted to recruit her, but when he remembered that she was the deputy leader of a mercenary group, he gave up the idea.
Ever since learning that Randy had an A-level order, Elfa and Matar were eager to try. They had been practicing in the empty courtyard of the hotel these days. In his spare time, Roger could always hear the clanging sounds of metal and the roars of Elfa and the others coming from the courtyard.
Sometimes Randy would join in when he felt like showing off his skills, and the three of them would fight back and forth, making the entire courtyard a mess with dust and potholes everywhere. Although the innkeeper felt sad that his nice courtyard had been ruined into such a state, Roger had already paid enough gold coins as compensation, which made him feel a little better.
Because the task list has a handover time limit, mercenaries in nearby towns must rush to their location and hand over the task to their employer within seven days after receiving the task, otherwise the mercenary union will invalidate the task list and issue a new one. So Roger estimated that it was time to set off for the employer's location today.
Carol's injuries have recovered a little, and she is ready to return to the Land of freedom. Roger did not try to keep her, but because he was worried that she was injured and something might happen on the way, he asked Lilith to go with her and send her to the border.
With such a high-level demon by her side, there will generally be no problem as long as they don't encounter beings of the level beyond them. Roger felt more relieved.
Although Carol didn't know why Roger arranged for a magic apprentice to go back with her, she saw that Roger and Lilith were very friendly to her in the past few days, and she and Lilith had a very good relationship, just like a pair of sisters. She thought that Roger was afraid that she would be bored on the road, so he specially asked Lilith to accompany her to relieve her boredom.
The four men saw Lilith and Carol off, then bought four good horses and hurriedly set off for their destination, the island in the middle of the lake - Klin.
To the east of Kulun City, about half a day's ride on horseback, there is a vast freshwater lake called Meadow Lake. The lake covers an area about ten times the size of Kulun City. The water there is clear and looks sparkling blue from a distance. In addition, the shores are lined with green trees, birds are singing, and flowers are blooming. The scenery is picturesque, so it is also called the "Sapphire of the Goddess."
There is an island in the center of Meadow Lake, which is home to several thousand households and more than ten thousand people. The island in the middle of the lake is Klin, which is the territory of old Earl Martin.
The old earl loved his people like his own children. Under his rule, the people of Klin made a living by catching fish in the lake, raising livestock on the island, and growing mulberry, hemp and coarse grains, thus being self-sufficient. In addition, Klin has opened several ports and can trade with the outside world. The town has developed very well and looks vibrant. The folk customs here are also very simple, most of them are honest and enthusiastic.
Roger and his party arrived at the port and found a local to lead the way to the Earl's Palace. The man was also very talkative and introduced the local customs and culture to Roger and the others along the way. As they chatted, they also talked about things related to this mission.
Klin, a small island in the middle of a lake with simple folk customs, has recently seen many cases of missing persons. Not counting the one last night, twenty-five people are missing. This has never happened since Klin was founded. According to that person, the missing people were all ordinary civilians, and they were all normal, with no crazy cases.
During the conversation, they had already arrived at the Earl's Mansion. Roger thanked the man who led the way and wanted to give him some gold coins, but when the man heard that Roger and his companions were there to carry out a mission, he refused to take any money from him.
Roger stated his purpose and the old earl received them personally. After a while, the four of them were invited to a hall which was not ornately decorated but had a very aristocratic atmosphere.
Count Martin was an old man with a white beard. As he had been a member of the Knights of the Imperial Capital when he was young, he was in very good health and spoke with great vigor. When he laughed, the sound of his laugh could shake the windows of the hall. He was also generous and used all the fine wine and delicacies in his home to entertain the four mercenaries who came from afar, for fear of neglecting them.
"My Lord Earl, based on the contents of this task list, we have a general understanding of the situation. I wonder if you could tell us the details?" Roger said while holding a turkey leg and biting it.
The old count did not look down on them at all because of their youth. A hint of anger flashed in his eyes. He pounded the table with his fist, and his gray beard flew up.
"Those missing people are craftsmen and farmers in our town. They are usually honest and have never had any disputes with others. They just disappeared right under my nose. They must be targeting me. If I catch them, I will make them taste the power of Old Martin!"
"Are there any others? Are there any traces left where they disappeared?" asked Randy. He was the oldest and more experienced among the adventurers, so his questions went straight to the point.
"No, most of these people disappeared at home or in places they were familiar with. No one saw them at the scene, and no useful clues were found." Count Martin shook his head.
"Has anything strange happened on the island recently? Or have any strange people come?"
Randy demanded.
The count lowered his head and thought for a while, then said, "Well, a month ago, Pastor Marco's wife died of illness, apparently from the incurable scurvy.
Fisherman Noel slipped and fell into the water while fishing, and his body has not been found yet.
George's cow gave birth to a calf with three legs. The islanders said it was the reincarnation of the three-legged devil from hell.
More than 20 days ago, several travelers came from Nord. I heard that they came to develop their Gathering Religion. They have already recruited several believers from us. But I heard that because their doctrines were too extreme, they had a dispute and a fight with several residents on the island. I thought they were not suitable to stay here, so I drove them away.
More than ten days ago, Tom and other farmers who had fought with the Gathering Religion said that the Gathering Religion had cursed them. Since that day, they have suffered from a severe cold and are still bedridden.
Ten days ago, people started going missing in the town, with several missing almost every day. "
The four listened attentively as the Count recounted recent events one by one, fearing that he would miss any useful information.
"Hmm." Roger frowned and said, "It seems that this matter is closely related to those Nords."
"Can we meet that Tom?" Randy said.
"You want to see Tom?" Count Martin smiled awkwardly.
"Of course you can, but he has been bedridden lately and has been sleeping most of the time. Even when he is awake, he looks dazed. We have asked him many times recently, but we haven't gotten anything useful out of him."
After the discussion, Earl Martin sent someone to take Roger and others to see Tom who was bedridden.
Farmer Tom's cottage was on the street not far from the Earl's Palace, and it only took a short walk to get there.
Although the hut is not big, it is fully equipped with all kinds of utensils. The corners are filled with fruits and vegetables, and there are also some exquisite little toys. It can be seen that although Tom's life is not particularly wealthy, he does not have to worry about food and clothing. In the house, Tom was sleeping soundly, and his wife Lena was taking care of him.
The peasant woman Lena is short, fat and sturdy, with a chubby face that looks a little haggard, probably because she has been worrying too much recently. When she saw the guards from the Earl's Mansion bringing Roger and the others over, she didn't want to chase them away, so she just answered their questions in a disinterested manner.
"Did your husband have any conflicts with the people of the Gathering Religion before?" Roger asked as he looked around the small room.
"Before, people from the Gathering Religion came to our street and told us stories. They told us many wonderful stories, saying that they were the history of the Gathering God. We listened with great interest and went to listen for several days in a row. Tom saw that we women went there every day to listen to stories and stopped working, so he dragged a few men to argue with those people from the Gathering Religion. They started fighting after arguing.
Those people from the Gathering Religion were all delicate and skinny, so there was no way they could beat Tom and his men. They were beaten and ran away, and they were chased all over the street with sticks. Later, the Earl heard about it, and the next day he sent people to send those people from the Gathering Religion off the island." Although Lena was indifferent to them, she told them everything she could for the sake of the Earl's face.
"In the next few days, Tom kept saying he was not feeling well. At first I thought he had caught a cold, but after seeing Pastor Marco for a long time, there was no improvement. The men who beat up the Gathering Religion members rarely went out. I asked their wives, and they said they felt unwell just like Tom. Ten days ago, people started to disappear. I think the ones who beat people up are all missing. Now only Tom and Jerry are left. I think they may have been cursed by the Gathering Religion, and soon will be Tom turn."
As Lena spoke, a hint of helplessness appeared between her eyebrows.
"Jerry?" Randy asked, "Where is that Jerry now?"
"It's over there in the rice fields in the north. You can ask the guards to take you there." Lena said, looking outside the door.
"Pastor Marco is coming soon. He will treat Tom in a while. I can't entertain you any longer. If you have nothing else to do, please leave here."
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