Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

After a hearty meal and drinks, Peter booked three rooms at the tavern.

The old hermit and the herbalist shared a house, ostensibly for mutual benefit.

Pavlina had a room, and after worrying about Peter for a long time and having a few drinks, she quickly fell asleep on the soft bed in the guest room.

Peter and the blacksmith Latova returned to the blacksmith's shop.

"You got that sword, didn't you? Let me see it! I want to see just how strong Toledo steel really is!"

As soon as they returned to the blacksmith's shop, Latovan urged them on impatiently.

"It may be a little different from what you expected, but overall, I fulfilled my promise."

Peter pretended to pull something from his waist behind his back, but actually took out the two broken steel swords from his storage compartment.

"Broken? Broken? How could you bear to destroy a sword that's practically a work of art?"

The blacksmith took the broken sword and examined it carefully, as if caressing a beautiful young woman. At the same time, he condemned Peter's brutal behavior.

"Come on, if you want to study Toledo steel, you'll inevitably have to destroy the sword to observe its edge and cross-section. I've prepared it for you in advance, you should be happy."

Peter refused to take the blame, saying, "Besides, this was the old hermit's decision, representing his break with his past self. Now that he's joining my ranks, the broken sword is in my hands. As agreed, I can give the sword to you for research, or even give it to you directly."

"Give it to me? With no time limit?"

The blacksmith was even more excited. If he could have it, he could cut it into more facets and conduct more research. So he happily reached out to take the broken sword.

"Of course, but is there one more condition to be added to the original agreement?"

Peter held onto the broken sword tightly, and the blacksmith tried his best to pull it off but couldn't.

"What are the conditions?"

The blacksmith reluctantly gave up and instead listened attentively to Peter's words.

"Once you have figured out the secrets of Toledo steel, you will need to forge two Toledo steel two-handed swords for me."

Peter held up two fingers.

"Why are there two?"

The blacksmith felt a pang of heartache. "Do you know how many times it takes me to hammer a two-handed sword? And you just ask for two!"

"One sword was returned to the old hermit, representing his rebirth. The other one I will use."

Peter's reasons are quite valid.

"A two-handed sword isn't cheap, aren't you... wondering if you'd consider adding a little more money?"

The blacksmith tentatively tried to bargain.

"Perhaps I should consider whether to give this broken sword to Osina, the blacksmith at Trossky Castle, or Sidov, the blacksmith at Nebakov Castle."

Peter refused to listen to him, sheathed his broken sword, and made as if to leave.

"No, no, no, you can't do that. Listen to me, my friend, I was just joking with you, yes, just joking. Osina is greedy and stupid, and Seedorf is lazy and incompetent. Giving them the swords will only waste materials and accomplish nothing. They're just two two-handed swords, I'm willing to forge them for you for free."

The blacksmith panicked and quickly explained with a forced smile that he had just been joking.

"Great, deal. I like decisive and generous friends the most."

The deal was struck, and Peter happily handed the broken sword to the blacksmith, saying, "I value honor and integrity above all else. Now that I have fulfilled my promise, I hope you will also complete the agreement as soon as possible, otherwise my honor will urge me to draw my sword and cut off the head of the treacherous."

"Of course, of course, my reputation as a Latovan is renowned far and wide."

The blacksmith wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; the person in front of him was simply too intimidating.

After finishing the transaction, Peter returned to the tavern and found a small hut on the second floor near the stairs, with a green wreath hanging above the door, where he lay down to rest.

He suppressed the urge to sneak in and pick the lock, and slept soundly through the night without saying a word.

Good morning, Mr. Peter.

Good morning, Pavlyna.

After getting up, washing up, and having breakfast, Peter and his three companions bought some salt, oats, liquor, linen, and other supplies in the village. They then headed west and returned to the Devil's Canyon camp around noon.

"Welcome back, Mr. Peter."

Tom, who was in charge of hunting and camp watch, was the first to spot the four and quickly came out to greet them. Bodina, who had gone out to gather herbs, and Jerry, who had gone to scout, had also returned.

The old hermit Martin and the herbalist Romeo then discovered that the "knight camp" and "full of talent" that Peter had described was actually just a dilapidated little place with only a handful of people.

"Peter, you really are no decent knight."

The old hermit sighed.

"Lord Peter, given the size of your camp, is it necessary to hire two herbalists? I feel I am superfluous."

Romeo also felt a pang of regret, wondering if abandoning the herb hut for this place was the right decision. However, having already been bound to the system, his loyalty was difficult to lower, so he only complained for a short while before accepting reality.

"Ahem, a tiny spark can ignite a prairie fire. Our camp may be small in number now, but each and every one of us is a hero with extraordinary skills, a spark that can ignite the world. I have no doubt about this."

Peter stood on a high rock, waving his arms as he gave his speech; his excellent "eloquence" made his words very persuasive.

After calming the troops down, Peter had everyone introduce themselves and then held a meeting to discuss the next steps.

First, everyone reported on their own work.

Bozhenna said, "The forests here are vast, with crisscrossing streams and ravines, and all kinds of trees. Even some rare and precious herbs can be found. I have already collected a lot and dried them on the drying rack for storage."

Peter said, "Alright, keep gathering herbs; you can never have too many medicines."

He then turned to Romeo and said, "Your current task is to rebuild the alchemy hut as quickly as possible. Use all the alchemy equipment you packed from your house this time."

Romeo nodded and said, "No problem, I can build a simple alchemy table with sticks and linen first, and it will be finished before dark."

Peter expressed his satisfaction.

Tom reported, "Yesterday I hunted another elk. Besides the hide and bones, there were 160 pounds of pure meat, which is being dried. Together with the oats you bought, our food reserves have reached 15 days."

Peter said with satisfaction, "Very good. Keep hunting for meat, and our camp's population will grow quickly. The more food we have, the better."

Tom hurriedly replied, "Yes, sir."

When Jerry saw Peter turn his gaze towards him, he immediately shared the information he had gathered:

"My lord, there are many bandits in the Troski territory now, but there are five organized groups that are large in scale. They contact each other and help each other, and they are known as the Five Fingers Alliance. Thumb Gules is a wandering knight and the strongest. His base is in the Apollonian Mountains east of Troski Castle."

After Jerry finished speaking, he glanced at Peter secretly, because that Gules was clearly following the same path as Peter.

"I'm not like him, go on."

Peter remembered who this Gules was: the bandit leader who sent spies to infiltrate the village of Tahoff, then robbed old Sir Semir of two cartloads of ironware, and later, after being defeated by Henry, shamelessly defected to old Semir and became a traitor.

Jerry continued, "Index Ulcer was a vicious bandit who frequently robbed people on the road between Nebakov and the Lower Semi mill. There were dozens of them, and they got their name from the sharp spiked club they carried, which they used to cruelly smash the heads of innocent people, leaving them festering sores."

"These cruel and harmful villains must be eradicated."

Peter slammed his fist into his palm and said firmly.

The old hermit agreed, saying, "A battle is only a fight when both sides take up arms; a one-sided fight is just a massacre. Such a person doesn't deserve the light of God; we should send him to hell."

Tom and Romeo nodded in agreement.

"Go on."

"Middle Finger Casper is the largest, most ruthless, cunning, and despicable member of the Five Fingers Alliance. They hide in the northern forest and once kidnapped the six-year-old son of a wealthy man in Troski village for ransom. When the wealthy man went to pay, he discovered that his son had already been tortured and murdered. As a result, the wealthy man was also killed by them. Casper even flaunted a gemstone ring that the wealthy man had on his hand, which was extremely despicable and shameless. It is said that he recently befriended a powerful figure and has become even more unscrupulous, to the point that even the castle guards dare not provoke him."

Jerry's explanation made the old hermit frown, because the bandits who had stolen his sword were members of the Casper gang. He had killed two and wounded three of them, and they had even threatened revenge before leaving. Fortunately, Peter had taken him away in time; otherwise, if he, already seriously ill and bedridden, had encountered those bandits again, he would have met a terrible end.

Romeo's face was also grim, for his herb hut was in the northern forest, and to make a living, he had treated the bandits' illnesses and wounds. He never imagined they were such a group; had he become an accomplice to their evil deeds?

Peter said coldly, "This Casper is also a malignant tumor clinging to the common people, and I will eliminate him sooner or later."

Everyone nodded in agreement. No one doubted Peter's sense of justice, nor did they question whether he could do it. After all, the knight, who was always so confident, couldn't possibly be a fraud, right?

Jerry continued, "The last two are John the Big Mouth (ring finger) and Charlie the Handsome (little finger). John the Big Mouth is based near the crossroads and is known for his bravery and loyalty. He's quite famous in the area and has seven or eight loyal followers who are willing to risk their lives for him."

How much evil has John the Big Mouth committed?

"That's not much. He doesn't rob civilians; he just occupies crossroads and targets passing caravans, taking only a third of their valuables. Unlike 'Dog Nose' and his gang, who usually slaughter every last caravan they encounter. Of course, Dog Nose's gang also suffered total annihilation because they encountered you."

"Where's that handsome Charlie?"

"Little Thumb Handsome Charlie, the weakest among them, has only five or six henchmen. He occupies the charcoal-burning camp in Dravico, extorting protection money from the poor charcoal burners. Charlie is not strong in combat, but he is very intimidating. He always wears fine clothes and a hat with bird feathers. Because he is so narcissistic, everyone calls him Handsome Charlie."

"The charcoal burners' camp? Those charcoal burners must have extra logging axes. I've decided to start with Charlie and create an opening in the Five Fingers Alliance."

Peter made the decision.