Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

"Master Planck, I've searched the entire attic, but I can't find your esteemed disciple. Has he gone out?"

Peter returned to the workshop and told the carpenter what he had seen.

"Damn it, Dao-ge, where did he go? Did he go off to fawn over that bitch again this morning?"

The carpenter was furious and spat on the ground.

The burly apprentice Buffalo Bill chimed in, "Dear Master, I noticed something was off with Brother Dao yesterday. He was muttering things like 'statue,' 'robber,' 'making money,' 'Matilda,' and 'birthday.' I didn't catch what he said, maybe it's related, maybe it isn't..."

"Shut up, Bill. I don't want you talking behind people's backs. Now, take your men and go find them, especially the Cook family, and warn them not to let Matilda seduce my apprentice again!"

Carpenter Planck still refuses to believe that Doug stole his statue.

"Yes, yes, I'll go right away."

Faced with his master's wrath, Bill fled in panic.

"I apologize, sir, for making this a spectacle of yourself. As you can see, my apprentice has run into some trouble, and I may not be able to recommend him for work in your household until his reputation is restored."

The carpenter shook his head sadly and handed back the Grosshin deposit.

Peter raised his hand and pushed it back, saying, "I trust Master Planck's character. I may need to trouble him with work in the future, so consider this silver coin as a deposit in advance."

The carpenter was somewhat taken aback; it was the first time he had ever met such a generous and hospitable customer. So he stopped refusing and accepted the silver coins, promising, "Although it's a pity this time, I will definitely prioritize your task whenever there are orders in the future."

"My pleasure."

Peter bowed politely and then left.

This move did not mean he had given up on recruiting carpentry apprentices; rather, he had already made a plan.

Peter just used up the 1 talent point he had been saving to unlock a new talent called "Perfect Observation".

Keen Observation: A White Talent. You can proactively observe things meticulously, comprehensively, and deeply, thereby obtaining more accurate and richer information from the smallest details.

Peter left the carpenter's workshop, went around to the back of the house, focused his mind, and his five senses became particularly sharp. Many details that he had previously overlooked came to mind, and Peter began to follow the footprints on the ground.

Heading west through the horse farm, and then turning southwest after leaving the village, there is a dense forest on the way to Semi Village where deer often roam. Ordinary villagers dare not approach it for fear of being mistaken by patrolling guards as poachers hunting deer.

Peter vaguely remembered that two heavily armored bandits were hiding in this forest.

These two bandits were not local villagers who had turned to banditry; they came from the south. Unlike local bandits who hid in remote corners, they brazenly set up camp between the villages of Troski and Semi.

What's truly astonishing is that despite their looting in this heart of the region, no one dared to suppress them. The village sheriffs and guards all turned a blind eye, demonstrating the utter chaos and disorder that had descended upon the Troski territory.

Continuing deeper, through a large dense forest, we finally saw the bandits' camp.

Two heavily armored bandits wearing leather linings, chainmail, and half-breastplates are roasting deer legs, while a young man in linen clothes is tied to a large tree.

"Please, please let me go! I don't want the money for the statue anymore, I don't want it..."

The young man in hemp clothing pleaded incessantly.

"Hehe, my brother and I always do business without any investment. This is the first time we've encountered a guy who asks us to pay for something we've received."

"Haha, who gave you such a clever idea? I bet you didn't come up with it yourself, because you're too stupid."

The two heavily armored bandits ate while mocking the young man.

"The girl I like is having her birthday tomorrow, but I'm so poor I can't even afford a scrap of cloth. My friend said there are people here who buy stolen goods, and the Virgin Mary that the master craftsman carved himself is very valuable... I want to sell some money to buy her a necklace. Matilda said a week ago that she really liked a necklace."

The young man said sadly.

"Wow, wow, look what I just heard! A lovestruck little boy is about to confess his love to a girl? Will her family approve?"

"A heavily armored bandit sneered."

"No, no, no, this isn't a declaration of love, it's just my way of expressing affection. Her husband, Cook, is so cold to her, he didn't even remember her birthday, ugh!"

The young man was indignant.

"What?! She even has a husband?! Pickled radishes are a must!"

One of the robbers was astonished.

"Hahaha, a fool being played by a bitch. But I still have to thank you. This statue is indeed very valuable. We can sell it for a good price."

The other robber, however, laughed heartily.

"Shut up! I won't allow you to slander Matilda! She's a good girl!"

The young man's eyes were wide with anger. Although he was bound, he continued to struggle, seemingly wanting to break free and fight his opponent.

"Hahaha"

The two robbers looked at the scene before them and burst into laughter.

"Pfft!"

Peter, who had been observing for a while, had already crept up to the two men. Under his "meticulous observation," the two robbers, holding roasted meat in their hands and laughing with their heads tilted back, appeared slow and full of flaws. Seizing the opportunity, he suddenly pounced out, and the tip of his sword pierced the throat of one of the robbers.

"ah!!!"

The bound youth screamed in terror. One of the armored robbers raised his arm to protect his neck and took three steps back.

"Ding! One heavily armored bandit killed. Experience points +40."

Peter wiped the blood off his sword, took a serious stance, and prepared to fight.

The bandit in front of him was dressed in three layers of protection: leather lining, chainmail, and plate armor. He was a true heavy swordsman, and Peter's one-handed sword couldn't even break through his defenses. But Peter was confident that with patience, he had a good chance of winning with his level 17 swordsmanship.

"Damn it, damn it, you killed Jim! We Moravian Knights will not let you get away with this!"

The heavily armored bandit pulled down his helmet visor, drew his greatsword, and cursed angrily in a muffled voice.

"Moravian knights? A pack of war dogs. What are you doing here, hundreds of miles from Troski?"

The Principality of Moravia was a vassal state of the Kingdom of Bohemia, jointly ruled by two cousins ​​of Wenceslaus IV: the Marquis of Jobst and the Marquis of Prokop.

The Marquis of Jobuste and the Marquis of Prokop were brothers, yet they engaged in a decades-long civil war over the succession to their father's title of Duke of Moravia. This also gave rise to many Moravian knights who were born to fight.

They were knights in name only, but bandits in reality. They had no regard for chivalry whatsoever, burning villages, murdering civilians, robbing merchants, and committing all sorts of atrocities. Therefore, they were not officially recognized by the Kingdom of Bohemia. Two of the most prominent examples were Jandjeska and the drunkard Heinicke.

I didn’t expect these Moravian knights to have infiltrated Troski territory so early. How far away can Yanjeska’s arrival be?

"What are you doing? If not for money, are you going to serve that loser Prokopf?" the heavily armored bandit yelled. "Stop talking nonsense, I'm going to kill you, you busybody!"

The heavily armored bandit let out a furious roar and charged at Peter like an enraged bull! His massive body and three layers of armor were extremely imposing, and every step he took seemed to make the ground tremble slightly.

Peter was completely focused, cold and single-minded. He didn't confront his opponent head-on at all, but instead dodged to the side, letting the opponent's charge hit nothing but air. Seizing the moment when the opponent's momentum was too strong and his massive body leaned slightly forward due to inertia, he thrust the tip of his sword into the back of his opponent's leg.

There was no heavy armor protecting them, and blood was drawn immediately.

Before he could stab any further, the bandit had already turned around and swung his two longswords in a circle without regard for anything else.

Peter could only deflect the force with his sword, step back, and stand still, resuming his standard stance.

"You've angered me!"

The robber straightened his position, supporting his injured leg, and swung his sword down with both hands, aiming directly at Peter's head, which was unprotected by a helmet.

Clang!

Peter deflected the force of his sword strike, steadying himself and avoiding losing his balance.

Clang!

As the robber slashed, Peter stepped back, deflecting the force again, his wrist feeling slightly numb.

"Whoosh!"

The robber slashed again, but Peter dodged with a swift movement, causing the robber to lose his balance due to inertia once more. The tip of the sword aimed for the robber's other leg.

"ah!!!"

The robber had injured both legs, and he staggered with every step, his legs trembling uncontrollably. The three layers of armor he wore not only failed to protect him, but instead became a heavy burden that crushed him.

"My turn!"

Peter moved! He began to unleash the combo techniques he had learned from Master Cat on the disabled robber.

"Horizontal Slash!"

"Natural Strike!"

The one-handed sword struck the thick armor, failing to penetrate its defenses and causing little damage, but infuriatingly humiliating. The bandit roared in anger, unable to catch up or land a blow, forced to passively endure the attack.

"Backstab!"

Suddenly, Peter's body moved like a taut bowstring released, taking a step to the side and instantly closing the distance to his opponent. At the same time, the short sword in his hand whistled upwards at an incredibly tricky angle, aiming directly at the opponent's neck, which was protected by chainmail—fast and ruthless!

"Sizzle!"

A sickening scraping sound rang out—the sound of a sword tip piercing through chainmail.

"Snap!"

The short sword pierced his neck completely, and with a sharp twist, a crisp sound of bone cracking rang out! The heavily armored bandit's neck snapped like a dry branch being twisted off! His head, connected only by a thin sliver of skin and flesh, drooped dead.

"Ding! One heavily armored bandit killed. Experience points +40."

"Ding! Congratulations, host, you have reached level 5. Free attribute points +5, skill points +5, talent points +1."

"Very good, it wasn't in vain that I risked my life to kill them."

Peter was overjoyed. But he wasn't in a hurry to add more points; he first wanted to loot the bandits' camp.

They acquired over fifty silver coins, along with some wine, dried beef, pepper, mustard, and other food and seasonings. There were also bandages, healing potions, and other supplies, as well as valuable items such as luxurious rosaries, tin kettles, silver plates, and silver cups. The two men's camp wasn't large, but they had quite a few valuable items.

The most valuable items were the heavy armor worn by the two bandits. Peter put on the half-breastplate armor without hesitation, which not only greatly increased his protection but also seemed to meet the conditions for the Master Cat to teach him "Master Counter".

I need to go to the nomad camp sometime. If I had mastered the Master's Counter, I wouldn't have needed to waste so much time dealing with this heavily armored bandit.

"My lord, my lord, could you please put me down?"

Only after Peter finished packing did the young man tied to the tree dare to weakly make his request.