Medieval: Kingdom Come: Deliverance

What should you do after you have money and equipment?

Naturally, he needed to recruit followers.

Like wolves, a lone wolf is not frightening, but a pack of wolves makes people retreat.

Peter's mind raced, and he came up with a plan. Before leaving, he beheaded the five bandits and pocketed their heads.

Carefully bypassing the wolf pack's location, traversing the dense forest, and trekking for over three hours, we finally reached Devil's Canyon.

After navigating a winding, labyrinthine limestone maze, we arrived at the poachers' camp at the deepest part of the maze before dawn.

The campsite was cleverly positioned, nestled against a resource-rich forest, protected by a labyrinthine canyon, and sheltered from the wind and rain by natural caves. Although the poacher brothers, Tom and his brother, were terrified by Peter's bloody killing of the bandits during the day, they still had no intention of giving up the territory.

People always take chances and turn a blind eye to impending risks.

They comforted themselves that Peter wouldn't find them.

In reality, Peter reached them before dawn.

After secretly taking their weapons, they brazenly lit a campfire, set up an iron pot, and started cooking hot soup.

Tom and Jerry woke up groggily, thinking that the other had gotten up first and started making breakfast.

It turned out that Peter, covered in blood, was sitting by the campfire, cutting up a dried rabbit with a dagger and cooking it in a pot.

"Hey, you two, are you awake?"

Peter greeted him casually.

Tom and Jerry were jolted awake and reached for the weapon, only to find nothing.

"I advise you not to take up arms against me. Otherwise, I will not be able to resist killing you all."

Peter's tone was calm, but Tom and the other man felt a surge of murderous intent in their ears.

"Who are you? What do you want us to do?"

Tom, as the older brother, was the first to calm himself down and cautiously inquired.

"I am Peter, Peter Griffin, a wandering knight. I arrived in Troski yesterday, only to be attacked by bandits. My squire, warhorse, and family crest sword were all lost. I was even chased into Devil's Canyon, but I managed to turn the tables."

As Peter spoke, he pulled from behind his waist, and the five bandit heads in the bag rolled to the feet of Tom and his companion.

"Ah, you not only killed the bandit leader Dog Nose, but also his deputy and other henchmen?!"

The criminals who frequented the area all had some connections, and they recognized the head on the ground as soon as they saw it.

"The Griffin family motto: 'Repay kindness, settle debts.' The Dognose gang has already paid for their debt with their lives. And you two, I remember you shot an arrow at me yesterday, trying to rescue that archer and drive me away?"

Peter was still slowly and methodically cutting the rabbit meat into the pot, but each cut was as if he were cutting flesh off Tom's brother.

"No, no, no, my lord, we have no connection with that archer."

"Yes, yes, we don't mean to expel you, we just want to remind you that such a poor and desolate place is not suitable for a noble person like you to stay for long."

Tom and Jerry were terrified when they heard Peter's fabricated identity and family motto, and they all started to defend themselves.

It wasn't that Peter's lie was particularly clever; it was simply that the peasants of that era were too ignorant and deeply ingrained with class consciousness, and would never have imagined that someone would impersonate a nobleman—such a heinous act.

As poachers, they had already committed a capital offense in the territory. They were only able to evade capture because the lord's patrols couldn't find them. Now, having offended a powerful knight, how could they possibly survive?

"Really? I don't believe it."

Peter shook his head in skepticism.

"We are speaking from the heart, and God is our witness."

"This isn't our territory; we're just temporary residents. Everything here is now your spoils, sir."

Unarmed and intimidated by force, Tom and Jerry desperately tried to defend themselves.

What do you all have to give me?

Peter asked, feigning interest.

"We are just commoners who can't survive on the noble lord's lands, but we occasionally poach some roe deer and deer. We'll give you the dried meat and fur."

"not enough!"

"We've been secretly selling stolen goods over the years, and we've also saved up 10 Grossen coins, which we're now offering to you."

"not enough!"

"We can make simple hunting bows and crude arrows from discarded arrowheads."

"Still not enough!"

"What else do you need? We are really poor, please let us go."

"I want your lives."

"No!!!"

Tom and Jerry huddled together nervously, as if receiving a death sentence. Seeing Peter get up and walk towards them, Tom shielded Jerry behind him, wanting to risk his life to give his brother a chance at survival.

"Griffin always pays his debts. As the price for shooting an arrow at me, you two must repay it with your lives. And coincidentally, my squire has died tragically and needs someone to serve him. So, I will punish you by making you my attendants to pay the debt."

Peter's first sentence terrified the Tom brothers, but the second sentence filled them with joy.

"My lord, do you mean you want us to be your squires?"

Tom asked excitedly.

"You are not qualified to be servants. You are merely attendants who serve me."

Peter corrected him. If knights were the lowest rank of nobility, then squires were reserve knights. For example, Henry the Sword Saint of Skarlitz was a squire who followed Hans Capone, just one step away from nobility. Attendants, on the other hand, were the hangers-on and servants who followed a knight. Their statuses were completely different.

Even so, for an ordinary citizen, or even a poacher who has committed crimes, this is a good job that can bring them success.

"Thank you for your kindness, Lord Griffin. But our identities..."

Although the Tom brothers were happy, they were still worried that their poacher identities would be exposed. After all, Troski was such a small area, and the combined population of the eight surrounding villages was less than two thousand. The villagers all knew who was a poacher, and if their identities were exposed, they would be hanged by the sheriff.

"My sword is power. Any lord who wishes to judge my men must first ask my sword for permission. And you, you have no choice."

Peter drew his one-handed sword.

Tom and Jerry immediately knelt down on one knee and said, "God is our witness, we will follow you forever."

Peter tapped his sword on each of their heads and said, “The Bible says in chapter 10, verse 2: ‘Poverty breeds thieves, but wealth breeds manners.’ On behalf of the Lord, I forgive your sins and wish you prosperity and well-being from now on. From now on, stay by my side and follow my family’s precepts.”

"Merciful God, forgiving Master. What is your family motto?"

The Tom brothers were even more surprised that someone would forge the Bible, and they were even more convinced of Peter's identity.

"We are not afraid of the powerful, nor do we bully the weak. We repay kindness and debts."

Peter then made up another story in a very serious tone.

"We are not afraid of the powerful, nor do we bully the weak. We repay kindness and debts."

"We are not afraid of the powerful, nor do we bully the weak. We repay kindness and debts."

Tom and Jerry took it seriously, solemnly reciting it aloud as if they wanted to brand the words into their hearts.

"Yes, very good."

Peter nodded. That's how he managed to get a hero, two helpers, and two thugs.

After the two finished taking their oaths, health bars suddenly appeared above their heads, and their character panels became visible.

Name: Tom

Level: lv8 (128/800)

主属性：力量14、敏捷12、活力11、智力11、魅力7

次属性：爆发10、防御10、闪避10、口才8、视野12。

Skills: Archery lv12, Traps lv6, Crafting lv3, Drinking lv2

Talent: Poacher (White Talent. Years of poaching have adapted him to forest life and honed his archery skills. In the forest, he gains +2 Agility and +1 Archery.)

Loyalty: 52

Remaining points: 7 attribute points, 7 skill points

-----

Name: Jerry

Level: lv7 (64/700)

主属性：力量13、敏捷13、活力11、智力11、魅力8

次属性：爆发10、防御10、闪避10、口才12、视野13。

Skills: Archery lv11, Traps lv5, Leatherworking lv4, Dice lv6

Talent: Poacher (White Talent. Years of poaching have adapted him to forest life and honed his archery skills. In the forest, he gains +2 Agility and +1 Archery.)

Loyalty: 55

Remaining points: 6 attribute points, 6 skill points

-----

Peter stared intently at the two people's panels, which were simplified versions of his own. Each level they gained would only grant them 1 point of free attribute and 1 point of skill, with no talent points. The only way to unlock their talents would be through hard work.

"Can I see my own panel?"

Peter questioned the two men.

"W-what? Sir, do you want us to do something?"

Tom and Jerry looked at each other, completely bewildered.

"It's nothing. Sit down and make some soup."

Peter suddenly realized that these panels should only be visible to him. Even if Tom and Jerry opened the panels, they wouldn't be able to see them, let alone use the attribute points they had accumulated.

This is quite similar to the companion training system in "Mount & Blade". You can allocate points to them in a targeted manner and train them in different directions.

However, there's no rush. As the saying goes, rewards and punishments should be measured. These two have just joined my ranks and haven't accomplished anything yet, so how can I reward them so quickly?

Take it easy.

Tom and Jerry were quick-witted; Tom took over from Peter and started cooking the broth, adding plenty of oyster mushrooms and porcini mushrooms he had picked from the forest. Jerry, meanwhile, cleaned up the camp, wrapped up the bloody heads of the bandits, and buried them in a pit.

"Until I obtain a formal knightly territory, let this canyon serve as a temporary camp for my Griffin family."

Peter decided to establish this place as their base. He then said, "If the Griffin family wants to grow and expand, they need more people with a strong sense of justice and exceptional skills to join them. Do you have any recommendations?"

"My lord, are you looking to build a mercenary army? There's a Roma refugee camp halfway up the mountain on the east side of Stone Tower Lake. It's full of talented people: master swordsmen, thieves, horse thieves, bathhouse prostitutes, apothecaries, swindlers, and brave warriors. Perhaps you can find the people you're looking for there."

Tom explained in detail that he and his brother had previously sold many deerskins there.

"A refugee camp? Perhaps we should go and take a look."

Peter felt a surge of admiration for the tomcat who taught swordsmanship for free.