Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

Meanwhile, in front of a dilapidated barn in Semi Village, Jerry and Romeo are selling cheap potions.

"Only five groschen per bottle!"

Romeo raised his voice to drown out the clamor of the crowd, deliberately donning the old monk's black robes to enhance his credibility, "God said, let His grace shine in every corner!"

"I recognize him; he's the apothecary who serves the noble lords in the castle."

"I heard that he was expelled from the castle for harassing Miss Anna and went into hiding in the northern forest."

"The castle steward said he was a wizard who didn't believe in God, so how come he's now a clergyman?"

"I don't care, as long as his medical skills are good and the medicine is so cheap, I'm willing to buy it and give it a try. Holy Mother! I really can't bear this rheumatism pain anymore."

The villagers in front of the barn were buzzing with discussion, but very few were actually willing to spend a few Grossen coins to buy the medicine. After half a day, only three bottles of medicine had been sold.

Is it that people don't need medical treatment?

Of course not, I'm just poor.

A peasant woman held the copper coins she had saved up for half her life in her apron, tears welling in her deep-set eyes. She counted them over and over, but they weren't enough for two Groshens.

The hunchbacked shepherd, clutching his wolf-bitten arm, gazed longingly at the medicine, touched his empty purse, and watched, reluctant to leave.

The old farmer dragged his injured leg, wrapped in tattered cloth. His leg had been broken by the sheriff's plow horse, and he could only stop the bleeding with grass ash, but now it had begun to ooze pus.

A breastfeeding woman walked by carrying her baby, who had been running a fever for a long time and had a flushed face.

"Pharmacist..." she pleaded, "Could I use two eggs to buy a bottle of chamomile potion on credit? I promise I'll pay it back, I really will, but my child can't wait..."

"What should we do?"

Watching this scene unfold, Jerry and Romeo felt heavy-hearted. "If the merciful Lord Peter were here, what would he do?"

"We can't be too kind, and we can't let anyone take advantage of us. These medicines are all Peter's property. We will only give them on credit to those who really need them, but they need to keep a record and remember this favor."

After discussing it, the two made a decision.

Romeo took out a small piece of parchment, held it high, and said, “My master is a merciful redeeming knight, Peter Griffin. He is willing to help those who are truly in need, so we can give you the medicine on credit, but you must swear by your soul that you have not lied. Sign this parchment and sincerely recite the name of my lord Peter.”

"I do, I do!"

The woman holding the baby was the first to rush forward, but said with difficulty, "But I can't write names."

"You can use your own blood to leave your fingerprint."

Jerry chimed in, "Don't even mention ordinary villagers; many of the noble children are illiterate. Latin is just too difficult to learn."

Without hesitation, the woman bit her finger and pressed her fingerprint onto the parchment.

Romeo handed over a bottle of chamomile medicine for treating fever and explained the precautions for taking it.

"Thank you, thank you, here are these two eggs for you."

The woman thanked him profusely. But Romeo pushed the eggs back at her.

"Give the eggs to the child; they'll help him recover faster."

"Praise be to the Virgin Mary, thank you from the bottom of my heart, and be grateful to Lord Peter Griffin."

The woman was so moved that tears streamed down her face, and she kept expressing her gratitude.

"My turn, my turn."

The poor woman, the wounded shepherd, the lame old farmer, and others stepped forward and, following the previous procedure, pressed their bloody handprints and loudly chanted the name of Peter.

Soon, the medicine in the basket was almost gone. This shows how high the demand for medicine was among ordinary people.

Jerry and Romeo, carrying their empty baskets and holding the parchment covered in bloody handprints, said with a wry smile, "I wonder what the master will think when he sees that we traded a bunch of potions for this piece of parchment covered in creditor's handprints?"

"In any case, we made the decision on our own, which has failed the adults' trust, and we should be prepared to be punished."

.........

As they returned with their empty baskets, Peter and John also drove their haul of spoils back to the camp.

"Sir Peter, isn't establishing these rules for collecting money just the same as what I did before, blocking the road?"

John the Big Mouth couldn't help but voice his doubts.

"That's different. Your toll collection is robbery, while my toll collection is giving those people a chance to atone for their sins. Have you ever heard of indulgences?"

Peter patiently began to comfort him.

"I've heard of it. The church says that if you put coins into the confessional and it makes a clear sound, you'll get an indulgence, cleanse yourself of all your sins, and go to heaven after death. But only gold coins make a clear sound; silver coins are too dull, and copper coins are completely unacceptable. I've been a robber for so long, and I've never even seen a single gold coin."

John the Big Mouth said with some longing.

"Indulgences are all scams."

Peter's words revealed the truth: "If gold coins could atone for sins, then the Judas would have rushed to heaven in droves long ago. Almighty God can create anything, so of course he doesn't need gold coins. What he needs is the goodness in people's hearts. So I will give those merchants an opportunity to do good deeds and spread the cheap medicine to save more people who can't afford expensive medicine."

"I see. But why do those merchants who don't buy medicine still have to pay a one-tenth toll?"

John nodded repeatedly, realizing that Peter's actions had such a deeper meaning, but new doubts arose.

"As I just said, their refusal to buy medicine shows a lack of respect for us, a lack of love and compassion for the common people. So I will act on their behalf to show love and compassion. Is that tithe for us to squander? No, it is simply through our hands that more people are helped."

"I understand!" John the Big Mouth exclaimed, a lightbulb seeming to light up above his head. "Those who rebelled against us took half their wealth, surely because they are not only devoid of mercy but also filled with cruelty. So they must be punished, right?"

"Very good, you've learned how to answer first."

Peter gave him a thumbs up with satisfaction.

Big Mouth John scratched his head sheepishly, the burly man adopting a coy posture, and said, "Sir, only by your side have I realized how wrong I was before. Now I understand how meaningful what I'm doing is. Please allow me to continue following in your footsteps!"

"Ding! Big Mouth John has voluntarily joined the host's ranks. Accept and open the character panel?"

"accept."

Name: John

Level: lv10 (2582/3000)

主属性：力量23、敏捷16、活力14、智力13、魅力12

次属性：爆发19、防御12、闪避13、口才9、视野16。

技能：剑术lv20、空手lv9、投掷lv10、指挥lv8、饮酒lv12

Talent: Highway Robbery (Blue Talent. Possesses high sensitivity to spatial terrain, always able to launch surprise attacks at opportune locations to complete robberies, with a small chance of catching the most valuable prey.)

Loyalty: 76

Remaining points: 9 attribute points, 9 skill points.

-------

John, at level 10, boasts impressive attributes across the board. His Strength stat of 23 points makes him renowned for his sheer power, unmatched among bandits. His Swordsmanship skill is at level 20, already approaching the Master level, though crossing that threshold won't be easy. Even more remarkable is his "Command" ability, at level 8. No wonder he can effectively train his heavily armored bandits and repeatedly succeed in raids.

He's a real talent.

As Peter examined John's attributes, John also felt a strange sensation wash over him; he felt comfortable and safe being near an adult. He thought it was just his imagination and didn't pay much attention to it.

John the Big Mouth's defection and the potential retaliation from the Troski Chamber of Commerce prompted Peter to accelerate the construction of the "Combat Group."

Originally, the plan was to wait until Charlie's Seven and John's Eight had fully integrated before launching the third round of expansion, which would be more secure and easier to suppress even if resistance occurred. However, circumstances are beyond our control. Today, a battle on the mountain resulted in the capture of eight caravan guards as prisoners, meaning the third round of expansion has already begun. So, let's accelerate it.

With their plans in mind, they soon arrived at the entrance to Devil's Canyon. The large carts couldn't pass through the narrow Devil's Labyrinth and had to stop by the roadside, covering themselves with weeds. They could only lead five horses and eight prisoners slowly through.

Tom, the hunter and guard, noticed the commotion in the canyon and, after investigating, rushed to their aid. When they brought the horses and prisoners back to the new camp, it caused quite a stir.

"My goodness, Lord Peter has made such a great achievement so quickly after coming down from the mountain."

"Those are horses! That's great! Moving timber will be so much easier now. One horse is worth several of us!"

"Hey, didn't you see eight more unlucky guys? From now on, let these newbies do all the heavy work!"

"Damn Doug gave us such a heavy task, but now that we have a newbie to take the fall, it's much easier."

The crowd buzzed with discussion. When Peter led everyone to the canyon entrance and, like ants carrying loads, moved the goods from the two large wagons back to camp, Bozhenna, who was in charge of managing the supplies, beamed with joy.

一共有亚麻布二十匹、羊皮纸10卷、牛肉乾300斤、黑麦1000斤、燕麦种子500斤、捲心菜种子50斤、盐巴30袋、烈酒50罐、油脂20罐、葡萄酒10瓶.......

"Build another supply storage room immediately. The rainy season is coming soon."

Peter immediately gave Doug instructions.

"Yes, I guarantee it will be completed within three days."

Doug patted his chest and assured him. All the houses and function rooms are temporary buildings now, so there's no need to air-dry the timber. The felled trees can be used immediately, and with the help of many people, the construction speed is very fast.

The great harvest delighted everyone. When Peter announced that there would be extra food that night, with meat for everyone and a small amount of wine, even John's group of eight, who had only joined a day earlier, cheered.

Everyone worked hard until evening, and as they sang "Thanksgiving Song" by the campfire, Jerry and Romeo returned.

Seeing the 15 Grossens and the parchment covered in bloody handprints that Romeo handed him, Peter was both amused and exasperated. He realized he had been too naive; potions had always been a luxury afforded only to nobles and the wealthy, and his idea of ​​profiting from ordinary villagers was fundamentally flawed.

"You did the right thing. Medicine is meant to save lives, and as long as it's used properly, it's very meaningful. From now on, we will use foreign trade as the main channel for selling medicines."

Peter showed the hundreds of Grossens he had earned from the two foreign trade deals that day, and then said, "We'll take another batch of medicine to the villages every week to buy medicine on credit. I don't expect to collect the debts; I just want them to remember our kindness. One day, these IOUs will become our asset."

Peter carefully folded the parchment covered in bloody handprints, as if it were not just a piece of paper, but a contract containing some mysterious power.

It is said that it is the will of the people.