Traveling through The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim

"Aigis, where is Miko?"

The little cat girl was stunned for a moment, but Annis answered first.

"You mean Helgi's pet dog? It followed me and the cat to Falkreath. It should still be there now, right?"

"Then, Aigis, take Miko with you and secretly enter the Whiterun Territory through the canyon we discovered earlier to find out two things. One is Helgi's whereabouts, where she is imprisoned, and how many people are guarding her. The second is the deployment and movement patterns of the Imperial Army from Loristed Town to the Sunshine Garden Fortress. Remember, only scout, do not act on your own, and evacuate immediately if there is a risk of being exposed. I will arrive near the Gukar Monument within ten days, and you must meet me within fifteen days."

The little cat girl took the order and left.

"Aunt Annis, you must go to Orphan Rock immediately and ask for help from Esmerelda. If she puts forward conditions, and the amount is less than 5,000 Septim, you can agree directly. At worst, I can go and borrow money. Regardless of whether she agrees to support you or not, you must return to Sunshine Garden Fortress as soon as possible and keep an eye on Moira to prevent her from refusing to exchange prisoners with the other party. You must cheer up. If we want to redeem Helgi, we cannot lose on the front battlefield."

Annis stood up, walked to the door and turned back.

"What if Esmerelda puts forward other conditions? She and Moira have been secretly competing for many years, and now she has transformed herself into the female leader..."

"Sheyaling tribe cannot be handed over to her. As for positions like court mage, I can try to make them work."

Are you kidding me? This Esmerelda has a large witch group under her control, and she is smarter than Moira. If she controls the tribe, it will be difficult for us to intervene.

The old aunt nodded and left quickly.

"Eric, if I find out where Helgi is and I am unable to rescue her, I will have to ask the Companions to redeem her under the pretext of buying a slave."

"But the Companions never buy or sell slaves. I don't know..."

I raised my hand to interrupt him.

"Perhaps I haven't made it clear. The person we need to save this time is Helgi. She is the little girl who followed me into Solitude despite the danger, brought back Mr. Lotte, and saved Madeline's life in Yuevaska. Do you still remember her? If the Companions are careful about their reputation, then forget it. When Helgi is safe, I will go to Krako in person to ask for an explanation."

Eric looked embarrassed and thought for a long time. In the end, he just said that he would report the matter to Yuanhuan, but he did not dare to make a definite promise.

"Sir, what about me?"

Seeing that everyone else was busy with their own things, Lai Mei couldn't help but ask.

"You stay with me."

Her eyes darkened and she lowered her head in silence.

"Do you think I'm blaming you for not protecting Helgi?"

"I...didn't...dare not..."

Lydia almost buried her face in the deep valley. I sighed and sat down beside her.

"I remember telling you that you are my most powerful subordinate, and it is still the case now. Lydia, I hope you can be the sword in my hand. A true sword is usually kept sharp, and it will definitely win when it is unsheathed. You see, we don't even know where Helgi is, so I have to keep you by my side, lest we miss the opportunity when the critical moment comes in the future because there is no one available."

"I really didn't..."

Lai Mei raised her hand and wiped her face.

"Come on, don't be so stubborn. Speaking of swords, let's go find Masinissa! That bastard made a small fortune with Eric a while ago. Go pick out a weapon that suits you."

In fact, deep down in my heart, I am a little disappointed with Lai Mei.

I have always used her to compare with Rayya. In the game, they are both Baron Guards, and their statistics are similar, but Rayya, as a dual-wielding fighter, has a more offensive combat style. However, in most cases, Lydia is the first guard to follow the Dragonborn, and has won countless fans for her loyalty and reliability. In the other world, Rayya is already the captain of her father's guard. She is not only responsible for training new recruits, but also often completes tasks independently. On the other hand, Lydia obviously lacks experience in leading a team, and has not yet shown the ability to take charge.

However, if you think about it calmly, although Lai Mei has been in the army for many years, she was too young when she debuted, and now she is less than 20 years old. In her previous life, she was either still studying or just entering society, so it seems understandable that she is a little immature. I don't know how old Ruiya is. It is not easy to judge the age of the Red Guards from their faces, but from the way she speaks and acts, she is probably a few years older than me, maybe the same age as Eric or Lund.

I can only comfort myself in my heart: This girl is still quite smart. With some experience, she may not be worse than Ruiya.

Masinisa was so excited when he heard about the mission that he opened the warehouse and let Laimei choose whatever she wanted. He followed me and asked me about the departure time and the materials I needed to prepare.

"Ladiya's wound needs to be healed for a while. We will set out in three days. During this time, you should prepare as many fire starters as possible. Prepare dry food for twenty days. You can arrange for someone to get a few wheelbarrows, and then rent two boats at the fishing grounds of Lake Irinata, and then transport all these things to the north shore."

According to the current treatment of the standing army in Falkreath, each person can get one and a half pounds of wheat bread, four ounces of vegetables or fruits, three ounces of meat or fish every day, in addition to half a liter of beer or wine, and two small cups of fruit vinegar. Of course, with the storage conditions of Skyrim Province, vegetables, fruits, fish, meat and the like are rarely fresh, and most of them need to be pickled with salt or even honey. Unfortunately, their skills are not good enough. If I hadn't been restless recently, I would have to pick up the skills of pickling cabbage and pickled bacon first.

"Do you want to get two live pigs? The brothers are not used to eating pickled meat."

"Whoever can't eat it, I'll kill him and eat the fresh food!"

Masinissa kept muttering and complaining about my stinginess until Lei Mei raised her eyebrows at him with two long swords in her hands, and then she left reluctantly.

Five days later, a group of ten of us entered the black pine forest on the north shore of Lake Irinata. Lai Mei walked in front to lead the way, a few Red Guards followed in the middle with supplies, and Masinisha and I followed at the end of the team.

"Boss, we have to walk over the mountains like this, how can we push the cart? I have walked through the western valley several times, and it is always a muddy pond regardless of winter or summer, and it is even more impossible to walk. You are a noble lord, why do you always act sneaky? Why don't we take the official road and pass through Ximu Town?"

"Just follow Lydia. She knows a shortcut. Also, you should inform everyone. This is a secret mission and no one is allowed to leak the news. If I find out that someone is so stupid as to sneak out to fool around, don't blame me for being ruthless."

The Red Guard pursed his lips, took a few quick steps, and went to the front to pass on the message.

Lei Mei was wearing a hunting suit, with her black hair cut to ear level. Her heavy armor was badly damaged. Not to mention that there was no proper blacksmith in Helgen Town, even if there was, it would take more than a few days to repair it. As for us, a large group of people were rushing around, buying supplies, renting cars and boats, and the excuse we used was to go winter hunting on the lake, so everyone was equipped with the same light leather armor, a longbow and two pots of arrows.

For this casual excuse, I was laughed at by Baron Sengard at the dock. Although this old man was a fool in battle, he was very knowledgeable about women and sex. According to him, the best time to go boating on the lake or hunting in the forest is autumn, and it is too late now.

"I heard that you were born a farmer, and you were able to get the title of knight because you pleased Lord Danger. However, if you want to become a true noble, it is not enough to just flatter. When I have time in the future, I can give you some advice..."

I was naturally in no mood to talk nonsense with him, so I hurriedly boarded the boat after a few words of nonsense, and then listened to Masinissa complaining all the way, saying that we abandoned the main road and went into the woods like mice stealing food. I was annoyed by his chattering, and when I was helpless, I heard Lai Mei shouting that we were not far from the tunnel they had discovered before.

This must be the Bretsin Pass in the game, because according to Lei Mei, she and Hayou and others found a group of necromancers hiding here, specializing in kidnapping lone pedestrians to study black magic. Now, we can still see traces of the wizards' residence in the cave, such as the large iron cages, the table in the corner that was discolored by blood, and an enchantment table.

During the meal, Masinissa came up to me with a bottle of wine and lowered his voice.

"Boss, we are not really here to hunt, are we? We have been walking for three days now, you should tell your brothers what you are going to do and what benefits you can get. If you just walk around like this, I am afraid that everyone will think too much..."

I smiled bitterly. I just had a vague idea. I had to wait for Aigis to bring back the news before making a decision. However, what this guy said made sense. The Red Guards and I were just hired by me. They couldn't be as emotionally stable as Lemei. They were not my direct descendants. They were not useful after all.

"Okay, call everyone over."

Masinissa cleared his throat.

"Warriors of Arik, please be quiet. Now, please invite the baron of Whiterun, the knight of Falkreath, and our generous employer, Lord Locke, to introduce the purpose and plan of this operation, and most importantly, the bounty!"

When Lai Mei heard him calling, she frowned slightly and looked at me deeply. I never expected this guy to do this, and it was quite embarrassing. On the contrary, the seven Red Guards still looked indifferent. Except for a few who were sitting far away and moved forward, there was no other expression.

"Everyone, the purpose of this trip is to rescue people. My sister was kidnapped by the Imperial Army, and we need to find out her whereabouts and rescue her. Because this is a private matter, we will not get support from the lords and allies, so I ask you for help."

I bowed deeply to everyone.

"Every warrior who participates in this operation will receive a guaranteed reward of 200 Septim. If you can successfully rescue my sister, each person will receive an additional 200. I can also promise that I will not take a penny of the spoils obtained during the operation."

I thought the price was quite reasonable, but the only response I got was the sound of chewing.

"Will you attack the city?"

After a long while, a Red Guard spat out the chicken bone in his mouth and asked.

"That certainly won't happen. After all, there are only ten of us..."

"Boring!"

The man spat, grabbed the bottle, and poured beer into his mouth. I was a little embarrassed, and it was Masinissa who smoothed things over and asked everyone to go to rest.

It took half a day to cross the Bretsing Pass. Masinissa made jokes along the way, trying to ease the dull atmosphere, but with little success.

At nightfall, the group arrived at the southern part of Whiterun Territory, at the northern foot of the Bletxin Mountains, where I divided the team into four groups. Most of the supplies were left at the entrance of the cave, guarded by two Red Guards. Masinissa and the other six were divided into two teams, heading to the Western Watchtower in the east and the Gray Swamp Fortress in the north to scout the movements of the Whiterun army. They will return here in three days, take the remaining supplies, and go to the Gukar Monument to meet me and Lei Mei.

I made this arrangement, on the one hand, because I hoped to obtain more intelligence, and on the other hand, because I noticed yesterday that Lydia had something to say to me.

"Is this the tree?"

After a whole day of traveling northwest, we found the dead tree that had poisoned Lachlan in a small valley. It stood alone in the middle of a small pond, emitting a strange purple glow. This is the Sleeping Tree in the game. Giants live in the nearby caves, and Isolda in Whiterun - the woman who sold Eric the wedding ring - will pay to buy the sap of this tree.

"Yeah. I really don't understand tiger people. Anyone who sees this thing knows that it can't be put into the mouth!"

I started a fire, cut the wild deer I had hunted during the day into small strips, and roasted them on the stone slabs. Lai Mei quickly set up the tent and laid traps, and only sat down next to me after making sure there was nothing unusual around.

"My lord, that Masinissa must have lied. At the beginning, he said that he and the other two leaders represented the three families of Tansi City. But the day before yesterday in the tunnel, he said that his men were warriors from Arikle. After they came to join you, my lord, I privately studied the geography of Hammerfall Province. The Arikle Desert is located in the northwest of this province, and Tansi City is a seaport city on the southern highlands."

"Could it be that he hired those people from somewhere else after he escaped from Tansi City?"

"Not like that. If they were mercenaries, they wouldn't be so stubborn. If Masinissa's mission failed, they would just take the money and leave. Why would they commit themselves to you again? And from what I've observed, Masinissa has a high reputation among them. Those guys were obviously very dissatisfied with the conditions you offered, but they were still suppressed. But you should know that normal mercenaries will not carry out missions without agreeing on the price."

I scratched my chin and felt a headache coming on.

"I was counting on them to rescue Helgi. What should I do?"

Lai Mei thought silently for a long time.

"My lord, I think that although Masinissa lied about his identity, he definitely wants to find Satia. I hope that they won't do anything extreme to you before they achieve their real goal. After rescuing Helgi, I want to go to Whiterun and get some information. As for now, we have no one else to use, but you must be more careful and don't leave your back to them when you act."

"That's all."

I looked up at the sky. Under the gorgeous aurora, there was endless darkness covering the earth.