Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

"Vinza, Frankie, is this the work you gave me? Your shoddy craftsmanship is utterly shameful!"

The blacksmith, Latovan, started cursing at his two apprentices.

The cunning apprentice Wenzha's eyes darted around, his jaw clenched, as if he were hiding his anger.

Honest apprentice Franky lowered his head in shame and remained silent.

"Oh well, oh well, it's my fault for only paying half the price. Getting this batch of inferior axes is probably the consequence of my greed."

Peter acted as a peacemaker.

It would have been better if he hadn't mentioned it, because the mention of a 50% discount made the blacksmith Latovan feel even more ashamed. As part of the deal, Peter had given him the Toledo steel sword in advance, demonstrating his utmost integrity, yet he had only received a batch of inferior axes. Where could he put his old face now?

"Sir Peter, I will handle this matter properly. Rest assured, I will recast these axes and personally forge them, ensuring that all ten axes are of the highest quality."

The blacksmith patted his chest confidently and leaned closer to whisper, "Ahem, they're the kind that can cut through chainmail..."

Latovan didn't believe Peter's logging story. What kind of good person would buy ten logging axes to actually cut down trees? Wouldn't it be more profitable to organize a ten-man axe gang to chop people up?

He's a blacksmith, so he doesn't care what the buyer actually does.

"God is my witness, Master Radovan is indeed a man of his word. But my camp has a great and urgent need for logging, and I can't wait any longer, so I'll accept these axes as a token of your fulfillment of the order."

Peter weighed the axe in his hand; it was heavy enough to be of good quality, but his hammering skills were lacking, and the blade wasn't very sharp. However, with some polishing on the swivel, it would be fine for chopping trees, though not for killing people. Seeing the blacksmith still trying to be polite, he raised his hand to interrupt him, saying, "If you really feel bad about it, then I'll place an order for twenty more axes, twenty iron pickaxes, and twenty hoes. I hope you can forge them yourself. Here's the deposit."

An axe costs 4 groshins, a hoe costs 3 groshins, and a pickaxe costs 2 groshins, for a total order value of 180 groshins. Peter handed over a small bag containing 90 groshins.

More than half of the 140 silver coins obtained from defeating Handsome Charlie were gone in an instant.

But money only has value when it's spent.

The blacksmith counted the silver coins in his purse with some surprise. "No, you're a wandering knight, not going to rob, kill, or be employed, are you really going to farm? The entire territory belongs to the noble lords in the castle, where are you going to find wasteland to cultivate? Are you going to follow in the footsteps of Baron Gules the bandit from the eastern mountains and claim land as your own?"

"What's wrong? Is money too hot to handle?"

Peter saw the blacksmith staring blankly and asked him a question.

"No, no, no, since you're willing to give me another chance to make amends, I'll naturally accept. Don't worry, I'll personally handle this order, and it will be completed in eight days."

The blacksmith immediately stuffed the money bag into his pocket and patted his chest again to assure him.

"Six days. I need to hurry up and plant a batch of oats while it's still spring."

"Alright, I'll work through the night to finish them. But the two two-handed swords will have to be delayed again."

"no problem."

Peter did not linger after making the deal. He wrapped the ten axes in rags, carried them out of the village, and put them in his bag when he reached a deserted place, adding 50 pounds to his load.

Then he planned to cross a forest to reach the village of Troski and find a carpenter's apprentice.

Peter hummed a tuneless tune, pondering how to find "axe wielders" for the ten new logging axes. Should he deal with "Big Mouth John," who was nearby, or the vicious "Index Finger Ulcer"? How much faster would the construction of his camp be with seventeen lumberjacks?

Just as I was pondering this, I suddenly heard a rapid and heavy sound of horses' hooves approaching from afar.

Peter immediately swerved away from the road and slipped into the bushes beside the road to hide.

Those who can ride horses are no ordinary people. My identity as a "wandering knight" can't withstand questioning, so it's best to avoid running into him.

In medieval Europe, lords nominally possessed absolute power over their subjects. However, in reality, given the vast, sparsely populated, and forested continent of Europe, nobles typically resided in towering castles high in the mountains. These castles protected the nobles but also imprisoned them, limiting their control over the scattered populace.

The nobles didn't really care about the lives of their subjects; they only cared about taxes, corvée labor, and military service.

The nobles would delegate some power to the village sheriffs, who were usually the wealthiest people in the village. The sheriff would hire a few guards to maintain order in the village, punish poachers, collect taxes, and conscript soldiers. In times of war, the sheriff would become a squad leader and lead the villagers to serve in the nobles' army.

So when Peter heard the sound of horses' hooves, his first thought was of nobles going on an outing or a sheriff arresting a fugitive.

The result was beyond his expectations.

Five knights, clad in striking black and red battle robes and gleaming armor, rode tall horses, passing along the path like an iron torrent. Leading them was a middle-aged knight with a face as hard as flint, his gaze sharper than the longsword at his waist.

Peter hid himself even deeper, and he saw the red star and cross emblem on the other man's chest.

"The Knights of the Red Star Cross? They've caught up with us so early?"

He subconsciously touched the short sword at his waist.

The birth of the Knights of the Church was closely related to medieval laws of succession. According to these laws, the eldest son of a nobleman would inherit the title and land, while the other sons had to leave home to find their own way. Some became squires of other nobles to gain experience, some joined the army hoping to be ennobled through military merit, some joined church colleges to become clergy, and some joined the Knights of the Church to become warriors.

Therefore, members of the Knights of the Church were mostly sons of nobles, or at the very least, sons of knightly families. Those of commoner birth had to be exceptionally outstanding to join. They swore vows of not marrying, not having children, not coveting titles, and dedicating themselves entirely to serving God.

But everyone has selfish desires, and even the Pope started selling indulgences to swindle money, with the bishops and priests following suit. The Knights of the Church were no exception.

The Red Star Cross was founded in 1233 by Princess Agnes of Bohemia, who, seeing her people suffering from disease and trauma with nowhere to turn, took pity on them and established the humble St. Francis Hospital Brotherhood in her women's convent.

Many priests and other clergy joined the Brotherhood. Their unity and dedication quickly earned them a reputation, and they moved their headquarters to St. Peter's Church in Prague. In 1237, Pope Gregory IX personally brought the Hospital Brotherhood under his protection and, in his papal bull "Almighty God," established it as the Knights Cross of the Red Star.

The old hermit Martin joined the Knights under a false name thirty years ago, obtained a knighthood twenty years ago, and became the Grand Master of the Knights, in charge of the Tribunal.

However, in January of this year, King Sigismund of Hungary imprisoned the King of Bohemia and seized Prague, usurping the throne.

The old hermit Martin and Grand Master Frederick of the Knights clearly expressed their opposition to Sigismund's occupation of Prague.

However, the archbishop and Grand Master of the Knights Zdenek secretly supported the usurper.

Then, with the support of King Gigi and the Pope, he set off a fire in Prague.

The fire engulfed the entire headquarters of the Knights Hospitaller in Prague's Old Town. The entire church, church hospital, and the Knights Hospitaller's library were quickly consumed by the flames, thousands of precious manuscripts and relics were destroyed, and many patients and monks who sacrificed themselves to save others were burned to death.

Even more seriously, the land registers and ledgers were also destroyed in the fire, resulting in the loss of most of the Knights' property.

Grand Master Frederick also perished in the fire, and his successor, Zdenek, quickly became the new Grand Master with the Archbishop's support. However, instead of trying to improve the situation, he was preoccupied with intrigue and strife. Thus, truth and unity were severely damaged.

Unable to bear witnessing his brothers' despicable acts of killing each other, the old hermit Martin, disheartened, chose to return to his hometown and live in seclusion.

The old hermit had a disciple named Conrad, a knight of the Inquisition, brave and fearless, with a heart full of justice. He had been secretly investigating the truth behind the Prague fire and unexpectedly discovered the archbishop's involvement, so he handed the evidence over to the new Grand Master, Zdenek.

The new commander and the archbishop were accomplices. Upon learning that Conrad had discovered part of the truth, they immediately chose to kill him to silence him. However, Conrad's martial arts skills were superb, and he managed to fight his way through the knights' encampment and escape.

Faced with the Knights' pursuit, Conrad thought of his teacher, perhaps only a highly respected teacher could help him clear his name, so he fled all the way to Trossky.

Meanwhile, the Red Star Cross pursuers arrived in quick succession.

In the normal game storyline, Conrad finds the ailing old hermit, but unfortunately, he arrives too late; the hermit is already too ill and passes away two months later. Despairing, Conrad is forced to assume the hermit's name, becoming a fake hermit. However, he is eventually found by the Knights' pursuers.

But now that Peter is involved, things will naturally be different. It would be a waste to let such a fierce man who slaughtered his way through the Knights' encampment go into seclusion.